Game #28 / Patriot League Game #17 • Lafayette
Wednesday, Feb. 28 • 7 p.m. • Alumni Hall • Annapolis, Md.

Multimedia Information
Live Streaming - ESPN+ / Pete Medhurst
Navy Radio - WNAV AM-1430, FM-99.9, www.iheart.com/live/999-wnav-9420, Audacy app / Pete Medhurst
Live Statistics - NavySports.com

Five Starting Notes
1 – Navy averages 65.9 possessions a game and Lafayette averaged 65.6 possessions a game, according to KenPom.com.  There were 68 possessions in the first game of the season between the teams.
2 – Wednesday's game is the 92nd in the all-time series between the teams.  The only opponents Navy has faced more often are Army (141) and American (104).
3 – Seven-straight Navy-Lafayette games were decided by single digits from 2017-20.  Since then, only one of the last five games has been determined by single digits, and the margin of victory in that outlying game was nine points.
4 – Navy has totaled 40 fast break points over the last six games and allowed foes to score 15.
5 – Aidan Kehoe became the eighth Mid to make a first career start during the 2023-24 season when he was in the starting lineup Sunday against Holy Cross.  Navy has had 11 different players included among the starting five this year.

Game Information
•    Navy closes out its regular season home slate Wednesday (7 p.m.) when Lafayette (11-18, 10-6) travels to Alumni Hall to face the Mids (10-17, 6-10).
•    The game will be streamed through ESPN+.
•    WNAV will each carry a radio broadcast of the game.
•    Links to live statistics from the game can be accessed at NavySports.com.
•    The Mids enter the game tied for seventh place in the standings with two games left. 

Last Game
•    Navy posted a 76-66 victory over Holy Cross Sunday in Alumni Hall in annual Senior Day game for the Mids.
•    Navy led by as many as nine in the first half, then held a 40-34 lead early in the second half.
•    The Mids expanded the advantage to 51-39 and then 59-46.
•    The Crusaders closed to within 61-54, but the teams pretty much traded scores down the stretch.
•    Navy held a 45-36 lead on the glass, including a 15-8 lead in offensive boards.  That boosted the Mids to a 19-7 lead in second chance points.
•    Austin Benigni scored 20 points and added five boards.

About Lafayette
•    Lafayette has posted an overall record of 11-18 (5-9 in true road games) and a Patriot League record of 10-6 (6-1 in road games).
•    The Leopards started the season with a 1-12 record in non-league play.  Lafayette started the Patriot League season with a 7-0 record, and his since tallied a 3-6 record.
•    Included among the team's losses over the last nine games were a three-point home loss to American, a four-point double overtime loss at Lehigh and a five-point home loss to Colgate.
•    The Leopards lost a 71-63 decision to Lehigh Saturday in Easton, Pa.

Series History
•    Navy leads the series with Lafayette by the count of 55-36.  The Mids lead the Leopards, 37-15 in games played in Annapolis, which includes a 20-12 advantage in games played in Alumni Hall.
•    The Mids hold a slim 32-31 edge in Patriot League regular season games played between the teams.  This includes an 18-13 lead in league games played on The Yard, as well as an 18-12 lead in league games played in Alumni Hall.
•    12 of the last 18 games in the series have been decided by single digits.  
•    The first Navy-Lafayette game took place Jan. 10, 1920,  when Navy won a 30-23 game in Annapolis.
•    This season marks the 56th season with at least one Navy-Lafayette game, and is the 43rd season in the last 45 in which they are facing each other.  The teams have played at least once in all but two seasons since the 1979-80 campaign (1988-89 and the 2020-21 COVID season).

On This Date
•    Navy has posted an 14-4 record in games played on Feb. 28.  This includes a 5-0 record in Patriot League regular season games.
•    This will be the first Navy-Lafayette game to be played on Feb. 28.

Against This State
•    Navy has posted a 388-267 record in games played against opponents located in Pennsylvania.

Up Next
•    Navy concludes the regular season Saturday when it heads to Washington, D.C., for a 2 p.m. game at American.

Eight First-Time Starters
•    Eleven Mids have started at least one game this season.   It marked the first career start for eight of those 11 players.
•    Navy has used 10 different starting lineups this year.

At the FT Line – Navy
•    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 95th nationally in free throws attempted (21.0) and 123rd in free throws made (14.7) per game.  Those averages lead the Patriot League.
•    Compared to their foes this year, the Mids are +42 in free throws attempted and +22 in free throws made.
•    In league games, Navy is +57 in free throws attempted and +26 in free throws made.

At the FT Line – Austin Benigni
•    Austin Benigni ranks first in the Patriot League and 28th in the country with 140 free throws made this season.
•    He also ranks first in the league and 40th nationally with 170 free throws attempted.
•    Benigni's free throw percentage of .824 stands second in the league.
•    He ranks among the Navy sophomore class leaders for the most free throws made (second) and attempted (third) and the best free throw percentage (second).

Benigni Scoring In Double Figures
•    Austin Benigni is tied for the most games by a Mid with scoring 10 or more points during an 18-game Patriot League season (2014-15 to 2019-20, 2021-22 to present).
•    Daniel Deaver also scored in double figures in 16 Patriot League games last season.

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 575-370 this year.
•    Navy ranks third in the Patriot League and 128th nationally in bench scoring this season (21.30 ppg).

Positive Turnover Margin 
•     Navy is on pace to again have a positive turnover margin (fewer turnovers committed than forced).
•    The Mids lead the Patriot League and rank 12th nationally with a 4.1 turnover margin this season.
•    The Mids are scoring an average of 5.2 points per game after turnovers more than their foes this year.

Navy Good Again on the Offensive Boards 
•     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 48th nationally this season with an average of 12.33 offensive rebounds per game.

Second-Chance Points 
•    Navy has scored more second-chance points than its foes in 195 of the 291 games (67.0%) it has played since the start of the 2014-15 season.  
•    The Mids are +83 in second chance points scored this season.
•    Donovan Draper leads the team with 71 second chance points this season.

Mike Woods Key on the Offensive Glass 
•     68 of the 209 career points (32.5%) scored by Mike Woods have been second-chance points.
•    Navy has scored on 46 of the 78 (59.0%) career possessions in which Woods has grabbed an offensive rebound.

Draper's Boards and Steals Remain High
•    Navy has scored on 45 of the 86 (52.3%) possessions in which Donovan Draper has grabbed an offensive rebound.
•    Draper's offensive rebound average (3.33 org) currently ranks fourth by a Mid in a season since it became an official statistics with the 1986-87 season.
•    Draper's defensive rebound average (5.89 drpg) currently ranks second by a Mid in a season since it became an official statistics with the 1986-87 season.
•    Draper has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 12 games this season.  That is the most by a Mid during Navy's Patriot League era.
•    Draper also ranks among the leaders for the most double-doubles during Navy's Patriot League era with  nine.  That is one shy of tying the current standard.
•    He also ranks first in the league and 48th nationally with an average of 2.00 steals a game.

Navy Pace
•    The Mids rank 285th in the country with an average of 65.9 possessions a game this season.
•    Lafayette ranks 297th nationally with an average of 65.6 possessions a game.  
•    There were 68 possessions in the first game of the season between the teams.