Game #30 / Patriot League Tournament - First Round • Loyola
Tuesday, March 5 • 7 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 / Pete Medhurst, Mike Heary
Live Statistics - NavySports.com

Five Starting Notes
1 – Navy has compiled a 19-29 record in its previous 32 Patriot League Tournaments.  The Mids won titles in 1994, '97 and '98 and additionally reached the finals in 1995, 2000, '01 and '22.
2 – The Mids are seeded seventh for the first time since 2016 and the seventh time overall.  The Mids have compiled a 2-6 record as the No. 7 seed.
3 – Loyola defeated Navy in the only prior league tournament game played between the teams (2021).
4 – Since Loyola joined the Patriot League with the 2013-14 season, 10 of the 13 games played between the teams in Annapolis since have been decided by single digits.
5 – Navy enters the week with a current roster that has the fewest number of active players with tournament experience (3), games played (7), games started (5), minutes played (127) and points scored (24).  Austin Inge accounts for five games played, five games started, 92 minutes played and 18 points scored.

Game Information
•    The 2024 Patriot League Men's Basketball Tournament opens Tuesday night with a pair of first round games.  Seventh-seeded Navy (12-17, 8-10) plays host to No. 10 Loyola (7-24, 5-13) in a 7 p.m. game in Alumni Hall.
•    The winner will play a quarterfinal round game Thursday at No. 2 Boston U.
•    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.

Attending the Game
•    Tickets can be purchased in advance through NavySports.com or at the Alumni Hall box office starting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.  Tickets are $12.
•    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
•    The went on the road to record a 71-65 victory at American in the regular season finale for both teams.
•    Navy led for 18 minutes of the first half and took a 32-30 lead into halftime.
•    The score would be tied seven times in the second half, with the last occurring at 59-59 with 4:44 left.
•    The Mids scored the next five points before it was a two-point game at 64-62 and 67-65.  
•    Aidan Kehoe scored on an inside move with 54 seconds left, then two missed shots and a turnover ended the next AU possession.  Austin Benigni made two foul shots with 32 seconds left to make it a 71-65 game.
•    Navy made nine three-point field goals, with Jordan Pennick going 4-5 from beyond the arc.

About Loyola
•    Loyola has posted an overall record of 7-24 (5-12 in road games) and a Patriot League record of 5-13 (4-5 in road games).
•    The Greyhounds snapped a four-game losing streak –– which included three losses by a total of 15 points –– with a 69-68 victory Saturday against Army.

Series History
•    The teams originally met during the 1909-10 season when Navy defeated Loyola, 36-10, in Baltimore.
•    Navy holds a 36-12 advantage in the all-time series with Loyola.  The Mids lead the Greyhounds, 21-5, in games played in Annapolis.  This includes an 11-3 advantage in games played in Alumni Hall.
•    The road team won both games during the 2024 season.  Loyola posted a 74-70 win in Alumni Hall and Navy recorded a 69-62 victory in Reitz Arena.
•    The teams have met once in the Patriot League Tournament.  The Greyhounds recorded a 76-68 victory over the Mids in the quarterfinal round of the 2021 event.
•    Fifteen of the last 17 games in the series have been decided by single digits (109 points total, 6.4 points per game), including seven that were determined by five or fewer points.
•    Ten of the 13 games played between the teams in Annapolis since Loyola joined the Patriot League have been decided by single digits.  This includes five games determined by no more than five points.

First Round Games
•    Navy is in the first round for the first time since the 2016 season and the fourth time overall since it began in 2014 (this is the 11th year with the first round).

Navy's Patriot League Tournament Records
Record by Site - Annapolis, Md. - 14-5
Record by Round - First - 2-1
Record as Seed (Years) - No. 7 Seed (6) - 2-6
Record vs. Seed - No. 10 Seed - 3-0
When Navy is the ...  - Higher Seed - 18-8
When Navy Faces a Team it was ... - 1-1 against during the regular season - 7-9

On This Date
•    Navy has posted an 7-5 record in games played on March 5.  This includes a 5-4 record in Patriot League Tournament games.

Against This State
•    Navy has posted a 195-78 record in games played against opponents located in Maryland.

All-League Honors
•    Austin Benigni earned second-team all-league honors on Monday and teammate Donovan Draper was named to the league's all-defensive team.

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 11 different starting lineups this year.

Kehoe on the Court
•    Aidan Kehoe has made his presence felt over the last four games.
•    He has totaled 117 minutes played (29.3 mpg), 32 points (8.0 ppg), 26 rebounds (6.5 rpg), 16 offensive rebounds (4.0 org), eight assists (2.0 apg) and six blocks (1.5 bpg) during this recent span.
•    Kehoe had totaled 158 minutes, 26 points, 40 rebounds, 14 offensive rebounds, six assists and nine blocks in his 26 game career prior to this span.

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 188th nationally in free throws attempted (20.5) and 137th in free throws made (14.4) per game.  Those averages lead the Patriot League.
•    Compared to their foes this year, the Mids are +41 in free throws attempted and +23 in free throws made.
•    In league games, Navy is +56 in free throws attempted and +27 in free throws made.

At the FT Line – Austin Benigni
•    Austin Benigni ranks first in the Patriot League and 25th in the country with 157 free throws made this season.
•    He also ranks first in the league and 37th nationally with 188 free throws attempted.
•    Benigni's free throw percentage of .835 stands second in the league.
•    He ranks among the Navy sophomore class leaders for the most free throws made and attempted and the best free throw percentage.

Benigni Scoring In Double Figures
•    Austin Benigni has set a new school standard for the most games by a Mid with scoring 10 or more points in 18 league games during an 18-game Patriot League season (2014-15 to 2019-20, 2021-22 to present).

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 599-391 this year.
•    Navy ranks third in the Patriot League and 137th nationally in bench scoring this season (20.66 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 18th nationally with a 3.7 turnover margin this season.
•    The Mids are scoring an average of 4.5 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 41st nationally this season with an average of 12.38 offensive rebounds per game.
•    The Mids have grabbed more offensive rebounds than their foes in 19 games this year (also tied in two games).

Second-Chance Points 
•    Navy has scored more second-chance points than its foes in 195 of the 293 games (66.5%) it has played since the start of the 2014-15 season.  
•    The Mids have scored more second-chance points than their foes in 18 games this year.

Mike Woods Key on the Offensive Glass 
•     70 of the 213 career points (32.9%) scored by Mike Woods have been second-chance points.
•    Navy has scored on 47 of the 81 (58.0%) career possessions in which Woods has grabbed an offensive rebound.

Draper's Boards and Steals Remain High
•    Navy has scored on 45 of the 87 (51.7%) possessions in which Donovan Draper has grabbed an offensive rebound.
•    Draper's offensive rebound average (3.14 org) currently ranks fifth by a Mid in a season since it became an official statistics with the 1986-87 season.
•    Draper's defensive rebound average (5.86 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.

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 281st in the country with an average of 66.0 possessions a game this season.
•    Loyola ranks 272nd nationally with an average of 66.2 possessions a game.  
•    There were 60 possessions in the first game of the season between the teams and 64 in the second.