Game #17 / Patriot League Game #6 • Army West Point
Saturday, Jan. 20 • 1:30 p.m. • Alumni Hall • Annapolis, Md.

Multimedia Information
Live Television and Streaming - CBS Sports Network / Jason Knapp, B.J. Taylor
Navy Radio - WNAV AM-1430, FM-99.9, www.iheart.com/live/999-wnav-9420, Audacy app and WFED AM-1500, FederalNewsNetwork.com / Pete Medhurst, Mike Heary
Live Statistics - NavySports.com

Five Starting Notes
1 – Army and Navy will be meeting for the 140th time and the 92nd year in a row on Saturday.  This is the 101st season of at least one Army-Navy game being played.
2 – Alumni Hall will be playing host to its 38th Army-Navy men's basketball game.  No venue has played host to more games in the series than Alumni Hall.
3 – Navy ranks first in the Patriot League and 89th nationally with an average of 12.00 offensive rebounds per game.  Army ranks second in the league and 173rd in the NCAA with an average of 10.67 offensive boards a game.
4 – Army and Navy have each lost to Colgate and Lafayette and defeated Holy Cross since the start of the Patriot League season.  Both teams also lost to Quinnipiac prior to beginning league play.
5 – Only three players on the current Army and Navy rosters have started a game in the series.  Navy's Austin Inge has started two games against the Black Knights while Army's Charlie Peterson has made six starts against the Mids and Coleton Benson has made one start in the series. 

Game Information
•    The first of two Army-Navy games this season will be played Saturday in Alumni Hall.  The Mids (7-9, 3-2) and the Black Knights (5-13, 1-4) will face each other in the non-Star Game at 1:30 p.m.
•    The game will be televised on the CBS Sports Network, with the stream of the telecast available to those who have subscribed to the network and can access it through a cable television package or other streaming offerings.
•    WNAV and WFED will carry the game on the radio.
•    Links to live statistics from the game can be accessed at NavySports.com.

Accessing the USNA
•    Vehicle access to the USNA is limited to those with an approved ID card.  All others must park outside of the USNA.
•    Fans can park ($10 / vehicle) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (550 Taylor Ave., Annapolis, MD, 21401) and ride the free shuttle bus. 
•    The shuttle bus service begins at 9:30 a.m. (the tip for the women's game is 11 a.m.) and ends four hours after the men's game begins.
•    Fans also can park downtown and walk through the gate one visitors center (52 King George St., Annapolis, MD, 21402).
•    Regardless of how one accesses the USNA, those ages 18 and over must have a government issued photo identification card, such as a driver's license, and visitors ages 17 and under who do not have a valid photo ID must be accompanied by an adult.

Navy to Wear NASA Uniforms
•    Navy will wear its NASA-inspired uniforms during the game.
•    Fifty-four United States Naval Academy graduates have gone on to become astronauts, the most of any institution. The first Naval Academy graduate to become an astronaut was Alan Shepard ('45), who was the first American in space (May 5, 1961) and was one of NASA's first seven astronauts. Shepard's second space flight was on Feb. 5, 1971, when Apollo 14 landed on the moon and he went on two moonwalks.
•    The Naval Academy Athletic Association and Under Armour partnered with NASA to use the official "meatball" logo to accurately recreate the spacewalk suit.
•    The white uniform with red stripes and the American flag mimic markings on the NASA spacewalk suit. The Helvetica font was used for the numbers and wordmark.  This typeface has been used by NASA extensively for decades, from the space shuttle to signage and printouts. It is one of the most ubiquitous typefaces in the world.
•    The shorts' side-panels feature the NASA astronaut pin which was adopted in 1963. It was first given to Mercury 7 astronauts. The silver pin is awarded to astronauts after completing basic training and the gold pin is awarded after completion of a spaceflight mission.

Last Game 
•    After trailing by 11 points with just over 11 minutes left to play, Navy rallied to record a 71-69 victory over Lehigh Wednesday night in Alumni Hall.
•    Lehigh took a nine-point lead late in the first half, but Navy was able to tie the game at 35 at the break.
•    The Mountain Hawks led for the majority of the opening part of the second half and took a 52-41 lead with 11:31 remaining.
•    The Mids tied the game at 55-55 with 7:25 left.
•    Lehigh held a 61-59 lead only to see Navy score the next seven points to build a 66-61 lead with 2:39 left.
•    The Navy lead became 69-65 with 1:20 remaining before Lehigh tied it at 69-69 with 7.6 seconds left on a pair of free throws from Dominic Parolin.
•    The Mids gave the ball to Austin Benigni who was fouled on a drive to the basket with 3.8 seconds remaining.  He made both foul shots to account for the final points of the night.
•    Benigni scored a career-best 32 points, Mike Woods scored a career-high 16 points and Donovan Draper posted 14 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

About Army
•    Army has posted an overall record of 5-13 this season (1-7 in road games) and a 1-4 record in Patriot League games (0-2 on the road).
•    Three of the team's four league losses have been by single digits.  Army has posted a 1-9 record in games decided by single digits.
•    Army and Navy each lost to Lafayette and Colgate and defeated Holy Cross.  The teams also suffered losses to Quinnipiac.

Army-Navy Series
•    The series between the two service academy teams began Feb. 21, 1920, when Navy won a 24-18 game at West Point.
•    The teams have met annually since that game except for the 1928-29 through 1929-32 seasons.
•    Navy holds an 84-55 advantage in the all-time series, which includes a 46-25 lead in games played at Navy and a 24-13 lead in games played in Alumni Hall.
•    Navy leads Army, 42-22, in Patriot League regular season games played between the teams.  This includes a Navy lead of 20-13 in league games played at Navy, all of which have been played in Alumni Hall.
•    Only once in the last eight seasons has one team won both regular season games in the series (Army, 2020).
•    Three of the last seven games in the series have gone to overtime, as have five of the last 15 games.
•    Thirteen of the last 18 games have been decided by single digits.  This includes six games being decided by no more than five points.

Series Longevity
•    This is the 101st season in which Army and Navy are facing each other.  The only years in which the teams have not met since the first game in 1919-20 were the 1928-29 through 1929-32 seasons.
•    Second on the list among Navy foes is Penn, with the teams meeting in 78 seasons.
•    Army and Navy are meeting this year for the 92nd season in a row. That is the longest uninterrupted series among Patriot League programs.

Most Consecutive Uninterrupted Seasons of Games Between Patriot League Teams (including 2023-24)
1.     92     Army vs. Navy (since 1932-33)
2.     88     Lafayette vs. Lehigh (since 1936-37)
3.     81     Bucknell vs. Lehigh (since 1943-44)

•    Army and Navy will play for the 140th time today.  That ranks fourth for the most games played among Patriot League teams and first for the most games played by the Mids against an opponent.

Most Games in Series Between Patriot League Teams (including Jan. 20 games)
1.    243    Lafayette vs. Lehigh
2.    185    Bucknell vs. Lehigh
3.    178    Bucknell vs. Lafayette
4.    140    Army vs. Navy

Most Navy Games vs. One Opponent (including Jan. 20 games)
1.    140    Army
2.    103    American
3.    91    Lafayette

Series Points Recently
•     The scoring between Army and Navy has been nearly identical over the last 14 games in the series.
•    Army is averaging 69.1 points per game in this span and Navy is averaging 70.9 points per game.

Series Three-Point Field Goals Made
•    The team that has made MORE three-point field goals has posted an 12-9 record over the last 21 games and a 40-30 record since the introduction of the three-point shot (there have been five games in which the teams made the same number of triples).
•    Army is averaging 5.15 three-point field goals made a game and Navy is averaging 5.32 triples a game.

Road Team Recently in the Series
•     The road team has had the upper hand in the series of late.
•    The road team has posted a 4-1 record in the last five games, an 11-5 record in the last 16 and a 16-7 record in the last 23.

Halftime Leads in the Series
•    The team LEADING at halftime has posted a 9-3 record over the last 12 games and a 58-17 record since 1974 (there have been three games in which the score was tied at halftime).

Rebounding Leads in the Series
•    The team grabbing MORE rebounds has posted just an 18-24 record over the last 44 games (there have been two games in which the teams grabbed the same number of rebounds) but a 46-41 record dating back to 1973 (there have been three games with the teams having the same number of rebounds).

Series Venues
•    Alumni Hall has played host to more Army-Navy men's basketball games than any other venue.  
•    Saturday's game will be the 38th in the arena.

Games    Venue
38*    Alumni Hall / Annapolis, Md. 
35    Christl Arena / West Point, N.Y.
29    Gillis Field House / West Point, N.Y.
17    Halsey Field House / Annapolis, Md.
16    Dahlgren Hall / Annapolis, Md.
2    Central Gym / West Point, N.Y.
1    Kokugikan Arena / Tokyo, Japan
1    Hart Center / Worcester, Mass.
* = includes Saturday's game        

•    The eight different Army-Navy venues is tied for third for the most in a Navy series against an opponent.

Number of Different Venues to Host a Navy Series
1.        10    Navy vs. American
        10    Navy vs. Maryland
3.        9    Navy vs. Holy Cross
4.        8    Navy vs. Army
        8    Navy vs. Duke

On This Date
•    Navy has posted a 12-11 record in games played on Jan. 20.  This includes a 3-4 record in Patriot League games.
•    This will be the second Army-Navy game to be played on Jan. 20 (2013).

Against This State
•    Navy has posted a 232-187 record in games played against opponents located in New York.

Up Next
•    Navy takes to the road again Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game at Bucknell.

Benigni Goes for 32 vs. Lehigh
•    Austin Benigni scored a career-best 32 points in Navy's Jan. 17 game against Lehigh.  He capped the scoring in the game by making a pair of free throws with 3.8 seconds left to give the Mids a 71-69 win.
•    This is the fifth time in which multiple Navy players have posted a 30-point game in the same season.

Seasons with Multiple Mids Having 30-Pt. Gms. (Gms.)
1951-52    John Clune (5), Don Lange, 1)
1953-54    John Clune (7), Don Lange (7)
1964-65    Bill Radcliffe (1), Chris Reddington (1)
2008-09    Chris Harris (1), Kaleo Kina (1)
2023-24    Austin Benigni (1), Mac MacDonald (1)

Benigni Rarely on the Bench Recently
•    Austin Benigni has been Navy's Ironman over the last number of games.
•    He has been on the court for 94 percent of the minutes over the last six games as well as during the five-game Patriot League season.

No Lead is Safe
•    Navy opened Patriot League play with a 62-60 victory over Boston U.  The Mids trailed by as many as 12 points (23-11, 8:40 first half) and were down by 11 points (50-39) with nine minutes left in the game.
•    Navy held a 30-15 lead (7:34 first half) in an 80-72 loss to the Raiders in the team's second game.
•    The Mids trailed Holy Cross by 12 points (25-13, 6:20 first half) before rallying for an 80-70 win.
•    Navy trailed Lehigh by 11 points (52-41) with 11:31 left in the second half before rallying for a 71-69 victory.
•    The three rallies from double-digit deficits to win games this year is tied for the most by an Ed DeChellis-coached Navy team.

Most Navy Rallies from Double-Digit Deficits to Win (13-year Ed DeChellis era)
1.    3    2017-18
    3    2020-21    
    3    2022-23
    3    2023-24
 
Not Getting to the FT Line
•    In 2023-24, the Mids rank 142nd nationally in free throws attempted (20.2) and 153rd in free throws made (14.3) per game. Though relatively low nationally, both of those averages lead all Patriot League teams.
•    Compared to their opponents this year, the Mids are +3 in free throws attempted and +3 in free throws made.

Injury Report
•    Jinwoo Kim was lost for the remainder of the season due to suffering a left knee injury in practice on Dec. 2 that required surgery.
•    Carnegie Johnson incurred a hand injury during Navy's Dec. 30 game against William & Mary and is out indefinitely.
•    Tony Atkinson has been out since suffering a concussion in late November.
•    Austin Inge missed three games from Jan. 6-13 due to an ankle injury.
•    Mac MacDonald missed the Jan. 17 game against Lehigh with an illness.

Navy Bench Has Been a Strength
•    The Mids have received an average of at least 20 points a game from their bench since the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
•    The Navy reserve players have outscored their foes 386-223 this year.
•    Navy ranks third in the Patriot League and 101st nationally in bench scoring this season.

3-Point Percentage Low in Navy Games
•    Navy ranks 14th nationally in defensive three-point field goal percentage as opponents are shooting 28.0 percent from beyond the arc against the Mids. 
•    Navy ranks 332nd (out of 351 teams) in the country in offensive three-point field goal percentage.  The Mids are making 29.0 percent of their three-point field goal attempts.

Rebounding
•     Navy has been very good over the last number of years at winning the offensive rebound margin.
•    The Mids rank first in the Patriot League and 89th nationally this season with an average of 12.00 offensive rebounds per game.
•     50 of the 137 career points (36.5%) scored by Mike Woods have been second-chance points.
•    Navy has scored on 31 of the 51 (60.8%) career possessions in which Woods has grabbed an offensive rebound.
•    Navy has scored on 29 of the 52 (55.8%) possessions in which Donovan Draper has grabbed an offensive rebound.
•    Draper's offensive rebound average currently ranks among the best by a Mid in a season since it became an official statistics with the 1986-87 season.

Navy's Highest OR/G Average in a Season -- Since 1986-87
1.    3.45    Eddie Reddick, 1991 (100 OR / 29 GP)
2.    3.41    David Robinson, 1987 (109 / 32)
3.    3.38    Donovan Draper, 2024 (54 / 16)
4.    3.35    Hassan Booker, 1997 (97 / 29)
5.    3.17    Sitapha Savane, 1997 (76 / 24)

•    Draper's defensive rebound average currently ranks second by a Mid in a season since it became an official statistics with the 1986-87 season.

Navy's Highest DR/G Average in a Season -- Since 1986-87
1.    8.41    David Robinson, 1987  (269 / 32)
2.    6.25    Donovan Draper, 2024 (100 / 16)
3.    5.48    Nick Marusich, 1991 (159 / 29)

•    Draper has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in nine games this season.  That ranks as one of the best among Mids during Navy's Patriot League era.

Most Games with 10 or More Rebounds in a Season -- Patriot League Era (1991-92 to present)
11    Hassan Booker, 1997 (29)
10    Hassan Booker, 1998 (30)
10    Sitapha Savane, 1999 (24)
9    Tom Lacey, 2017 (32)
9    Donovan Draper, 2024 (16)

•    Draper also ranks among the leaders for the most double-doubles during Navy's Patriot League era.

Most Games with 10 or More Rebounds in a Season -- Patriot League Era (1991-92 to present)
10    Hassan Booker, 1997 (29)
10    Hassan Booker, 1998 (30)
7    Sitapha Savane, 1999 (24)
7    Donovan Draper, 2024 (16)

•    Draper ranks among the Patriot League and NCAA leaders in several statistics.

Statistic    No.    Patriot League    NCAA
Double-Doubles    7    1    26
Rebounds    154    1    49
Rebounds/G    9.6    1    25
Def. Rebounds/G    6.25    1    50
Off. Rebounds/G    3.38    1    30
Steals    42    1    15
Steals/G    2.63    1    8

Navy Pace 
•    Navy traditionally has been one of the more deliberate teams in terms of possessions per game under head coach Ed DeChellis.  
•    Navy ranks 256th in the NCAA this year with an average of 66.6 possessions a game.
•    Army ranks 354th nationally with an average of 63.3 possessions a game.