Game #13 / Patriot League Game #2 • Colgate
Saturday, Jan. 6 • 2 p.m. • Alumni Hall • Annapolis, Md.

Multimedia Information
Live Streaming - ESPN+ / Pete Medhurst, Mike Heary
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 – Navy's win Wednesday against Boston U. increased its winning streak in league openers to six.  That ties the school record for the longest run of winning its league opening game.  The only other teams with a current winning streak in the first game of a league season are American and Colgate, each of which has won two in a row.
2 – Current Navy players have totaled 53 career points in games played against the Raiders, with Austin Inge accounting for 30 of those points.  Colgate's roster includes players who have scored 196 career points against the Mids.
3 – Navy is tied with UMass-Lowell for the best defensive three-point field goal percentage in the country.  Each team has allowed foes to connect on 25.17 percent of their three-point shots.  Colgate ranks 126th nationally and second in the Patriot League with an offensive three-point percentage of 32.4 percent.
4 – Navy ranks first in the Patriot League and 165th nationally with an average of 19.9 free throw attempts a game.  Colgate ranks first in the league and 14th in the country with an average of 13.9 fouls committed a game.
5 – Former Wichita State player Dexter Dennis recently made his NBA debut with the Dallas Mavericks.  That brings the number of future NBA players who have played a game in Alumni Hall to 54.  Dennis and the Shockers faced Providence in the 2018 Veterans Classic.

Game Information
•    A three-game homestand for the Mids (5-7, 1-0) comes to a close Saturday when they play host to Colgate (7-7, 1-0) in a 1 p.m. game in Alumni Hall.  
•    ESPN+ will provide a video stream of the game.
•    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 one hour prior to the start of the game and ends four hours after the 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.

Last Game
•    Navy led for just 1:11 of the game, but had the lead at the end of the 62-60 victory over Boston U. Wednesday.
•    Navy trailed by 12 points in the first half and by 11 points with nine minutes remaining.
•    The Mids took their first lead of the game at 52-51 with 4:59 left.
•    Boston regained a 57-54 lead with 3:14 remaining, but Navy tied the game at 57-57 (1:40) and took a 59-57 lead (44.8) when Austin Benigni made a driving layup.
•    The Terriers drew to within one point at 59-58 with 10.5 seconds left, then a pair of free throws by Benigni made the score 61-58 with 8.7 seconds still to play.
•    Boston again cut the margin to one point at 61-60 with 4.6 seconds left by making a pair of free throws.
•    The Mids turned the ball over on the ensuing inbounds pass, but Lysander Rehnstrom forced a missed BU shot at the rim and then grabbed the errant attempt before being fouled with 1.4 seconds left.  He made the first foul shot and intentionally missed the second.  BU's three-quarter court attempt off the carom was well short.
•    Navy shot 52 percent from the field in the second half and held Boston to a mark of 32 percent.
•    Benigni scored 14 second-half points as part of a 22-point night.  Mac MacDonald scored 14 second-half points as he tied his career high with 17 points.

Additional Navy-Boston U. Notes
•    Navy did not take the lead for the first time until there was 4:59 remaining in the game.  The Mids ended the game holding the lead for just 1:11.
•    The last time Navy won a game when holding the lead for as little as 1:11 was when it defeated Bryant, 76-74, on Dec. 6, 2016, after leading for just 25 seconds.
•    Navy trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half and by as many as 11 points in the second half.
•    The last time Navy overcome a 12-point deficit to win a game was Jan. 21, 2023, when it rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half to defeat Army.  The Mids trailed, 43-31, early in the second half before winning, 77-71.

Another Successful Opening Night
•    Navy has now won its Patriot League opening game in six-straight seasons (2019-24).
•    That ties the Navy record for the longest run of winning the program's Patriot League opener (1996-01).
•    The only additional teams in the league with a current multiple-year winning streak are American and Colgate, each of which has won two-straight league openers. 

About Colgate
•    Colgate makes the drive to Annapolis with an overall record of 7-7 on the season. 
•    Included among the results for Colgate this season have been a four-point loss at Syracuse, a six-point home loss to Harvard and road defeats against Arizona (No. 2 in the AP poll at the time of the game and now 10th), Illinois (No. 16 in the AP poll at the time of the game and now ninth) and Iona.
•    The Raiders opened Patriot League play Wednesday with a 78-55 victory over Loyola in Hamilton.

Navy-Colgate Series
•    Colgate leads the overall series with Navy by the count of 45-30.  This includes an 18-16 lead for the Raiders in games played in Annapolis and a 17-14 edge in games played in Alumni Hall.
•    Colgate has won the last nine games in the series, as well as the last three games to be played on The Yard.
•    The Colgate lead in Patriot League regular season games is 37-25, which includes a 17-14 lead in games played in Annapolis and a 16-13 advantage in games played in Alumni Hall.
•    The Raiders have won the last seven league regular season games played against the Mids, three of which were played in Annapolis.
•    The teams played four games prior to each becoming members of the Patriot League.  The first meeting occurred Dec. 29, 1950, when Colgate defeated Navy, 63-59, in Raleigh, N.C.  
•    The last game in the series before each joined the Patriot League was Dec. 29, 1975.

Navy-Colgate Statistics
•    Current Colgate players have far more experience in the series than do members of the Navy team.

Navy vs. Colgate Among Current Players
        Navy    Colgate
Players Who Have Played     8    7
Total Games Played    13    28
Players Who Have Started    2    4
Total Games Started    4    10
Career Points Scored    53    196
Career Points Leader Total    30    73
Leader    Austin Inge    Keegan Records

On This Date
•    Navy has posted a 14-13 record in games played on Jan. 6.  This includes a 3-1 record in Patriot League games.

Against This State
•    Navy has posted a 232-186 record in games played against opponents located in New York State.

Up Next
•    Navy plays the first of back-to-back road games Wednesday with a game at Holy Cross.  

 Service Assignments Made
•    Seniors at the USNA learned of their service assignments on Thursday, Nov. 16.
•    Tony Atkinson received Marine Corps ground.  Upon graduation this May he will enter the Marine Corps as a Second Lieutenant.
•    Austin Inge received Navy supply corps.  He will become an Ensign in the Navy on May 24, 2024.

Not Getting to the FT Line
•    Navy ranked 343rd nationally during the 2022-23 season with an average of 13.5 free throws attempted a game, and 344th with an average of 9.5 free throws made a game.
•    In 2023-24, the Mids rank 155th nationally in free throws attempted (19.9) and 161st in free throws made (14.2) per game. Though relatively low nationally, both of those averages lead all Patriot League teams.
•    Compared to their opponents this year, the Mids are -5 in free throws made and -14 in free throws attempted.
•    Colgate is averaging 8.4 fee throws made a game (seventh in league) and 12.9 free throws attempted a game (ninth in league).  The Raiders are -19 in free throws made and -21 in free throws attempted compared to their opponents.

Close Games by Patriot League Teams
•    Navy's four games this season decided by five or fewer points ranks second among Patriot League teams. 
•    American leads the league with five games determined by no more than five points.

Three-Point Plays 
•    Austin Benigni leads the team for the most three-point play opportunities this season with 10. 
•    Donovan Draper stands second with seven.
•    The remainder of the team has combined for nine this year.

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 326-152 this year.
•    Navy ranks first in the Patriot League and 61st nationally in bench scoring this season.

3-Point Percentage Low in Navy Games 
•    Navy is tied for first nationally in defensive three-point field goal percentage as opponents are shooting 25.2 percent from beyond the arc against the Mids. 
•    Navy ranks 327th (out of 351 teams) in the country in offensive three-point field goal percentage.  The Mids are making 28.4 percent of their three-point field goal attempts.
•    Colgate ranks 126th nationally and second in the league with its offensive three-point field goal percentage of 32.4 percent and 142nd overall and third in the league in defensive three-point percentage with a mark of 32.0 percent.

NCAA Defensive 3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. Leaders
1.        25.17%    Navy
        25.17%    UMass-Lowell
3.        25.55%    Pittsburgh

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 91st nationally this season with an average of 12.0 offensive rebounds per game.
•     32 of the 93 career points scored by Mike Woods have been second-chance points.
•    Navy has scored on 22 of the 41 career possessions in which Woods has grabbed an offensive rebound.
•    Navy has scored on 22 of the 37 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
2.    3.41    David Robinson, 1987
3.    3.35    Hassan Booker, 1997
4.    3.25    Donovan Draper, 2024
5.    3.17    Sitapha Savane, 1997

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

Statistic    No.    Patriot League    NCAA
Double-Doubles    4    1    54
Rebounds    109    1    105
Rebounds/G    9.1    1    45
Def. Rebounds/G    5.83    1    79
Off. Rebounds/G    3.25    1    41
Steals    29    1    50
Steals/G    2.42    1    22

Navy Pace
•    Navy traditionally has been one of the more deliberate teams in terms of possessions per game under head coach Ed DeChellis.  
•    The Mids rank 268th this season with an average of 67.6 possessions per game.
•    Colgate ranks 318th nationally with an average of 66.2 possessions a game.