Navy (5-13, 2-3 Patriot League) at Bucknell (7-11, 3-2 Patriot League)
Saturday, Jan. 18 • 4 p.m.
Sojka Pavilion • Lewisburg, Pa.

Series History
Overall: Bucknell leads, 46-44 / Patriot League: Bucknell leads, 37-29
Last Game: Bucknell, 80-67 / Feb. 7, 2024 (Annapolis, Md.)
at Bucknell: Bucknell leads, 30-9 / Patriot League: Bucknell leads, 24-9
Last Game: Bucknell, 71-63 / Jan. 24, 2024

Broadcast Information
Video: ESPN+ / Doug Birdsong, Terry Conrad
Navy Radio: WNAV / Matt Sabados

Five Starting Notes
1 – Bucknell won both games against Navy in 2024 after the Mids had won nine games in a row from the Bison.  The results gave Bucknell a 46-44 lead in the all-time series.
2 – Austin Benigni is 21 points shy of becoming the 27th Mid to score 1,000 career points.
3 – Benigni leads the Patriot League in free throws made (94) and Bucknell's Noah Williamson stands second (68).  Williamson leads the league with 116 foul shots attempted and Benigni ranks second (112).
4 – Williamson, Aidan Kehoe and Milos Ilic from Loyola are tied for the Patriot League lead and 34th nationally with six double-doubles this season.
5 – According to KenPom.com's adjusted tempo rating (possessions per 40 minutes), Navy is averaging 68.1 possessions a game and Bucknell is averaging 68.0 possessions a game.

Game Information
•    The Mids head back out on the road for the third time in four games Saturday when they play at Bucknell in a 4 p.m. game in Lewisburg, Pa.
•    The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and WNAV will carry the game on the radio.
•    Matt Sabados will call the game for WNAV.

About Bucknell 
•    Bucknell has posted an overall recored of 7-11 and a Patriot League record of 3-2.
•    The Bison have won all three of their league home games, including an 86-82 victory over Holy Cross Wednesday night.
•    Included among the team's non-league losses were defeats at Kentucky, at Maryland, at Gonzaga and at Syracuse.

Series History
•    Navy and Bucknell first met on Jan. 31, 1920, when the Mids posted a 15-13 victory in Annapolis.
•    Bucknell leads the overall series, 46-44.  This includes a 30-9 advantage in games played in Lewisburg.
•    The Bison also are in front of the Mids, 37-29, in league regular season games.  Bucknell holds a 24-9 lead in league games played on its home floor and a 20-6 lead in league games played in Sojka Pavilion.
•    Navy had won nine-straight games in the series –– four in a row in Lewisburg –– until Bucknell swept the 2024 season series.  The Bison defeated Navy 71-63 in Lewisburg and 80-67 in Annapolis.

On This Date
•    Navy has posted a 19-13 record in games played on Jan. 18.  This includes a 5-4 record in Patriot League games.
•    Navy defeated Bucknell, 66-53, on Jan. 18, 2003.

Against Pennsylvania
•    Navy has totaled a 391-268 record in games played against opponents located in Pennsylvania.

In Pennsylvania
•    Navy has totaled a 77-142 record in games played in Pennsylvania.  This includes a 9-31 record in games played in Lewisburg.

A Look Back (Colgate 73, Navy 66)
•    Navy trailed by as many as nine points in the first half but closed to within 33-32 at the half.
•    Navy took a 37-36 lead early in the second half before Colgate responded with an 8-0 run.  The Raiders would soon take a 50-41 lead.
•    The Mids made it a two-point game at 57-55, then had a field goal attempt to tie the game.
•    Navy went scoreless for almost six minutes, during which time it committed five turnovers and was 0-5 from the floor.  That allowed Colgate to open up a 65-55 lead with just 4:35 remaining.
•    Navy had more field goals made, 26-24, but Colgate led in triples, 10-7, and was 15-25 from the foul line and the Mids were 7-11.
•    Austin Benigni totaled 25 points and eight assists, Donovan Draper finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds and Aidan Kehoe posted 13 rebounds and six points.

A Look Ahead 
•    Navy returns home for a Wednesday night game against Boston U.

Navy by President
•    Navy has posted a 63-57 (.525) record under President Joe Biden.
•    The Mids previously compiled a 58-44 (.569) record during Donald Trump's first term as President.
•    Navy has compiled a 12-8 record in the final game of a Presidential administration.

Kehoe's Double-Double Run 
•    Aidan Kehoe saw his streak of double-doubles end at five when he registered six points and 11 rebounds Jan. 15 against Colgate.
•    The last Mid to have as many as five-straight double-doubles was David Robinson who had 15 in a row (last 12 games of 1985-86, first 3 games of 1986-87).
•    Kehoe is tied for first in the Patriot League and tied for 34th in the NCAA with six double-doubles this year.
•    Kehoe's 8-8 effort from the floor at Loyola marked the eighth time a Mid has been perfect from the field with at least eight attempts.  It was the fourth time it was achieved in a league game.  
•    The last to do was Daniel Deaver against Bucknell on Jan. 7, 2022.
•    Kehoe ranks first in the Patriot League and 13th in the NCAA with a field goal percentage of 61.9 percent.

Benigni Nears 1,000th Point
•     Austin Benigni enters the game with 979 career points.
•    He needs 21 points to become the 27th Mid to score 1,000 career points.
•    The last to do so was John Carter Jr., on Jan. 22, 2022.
•    Benigni has played 80 career games.  Should he attain the milestone Saturday, he would rank 12th for the fewest games to score 1,000 points.
•    12 Mids who have played all four seasons during the program's Patriot League era have scored 1,000 points.
•    Seven Mids have scored their 1,000th point in a Patriot League regular season game, with three of those players attaining it in a league road game. 
•    Seven Mids have scored their 1,000th point during a true road game, with two additional players reaching the milestone in a neutral site game.
•    The only Mid to score his 1,000th point against Bucknell was Greg Sprink on Feb. 2, 2007, in Annapolis.
•    Ed DeChellis has coached six Navy players who have scored 1,000 career points.

Points Per Game Highs and Lows
•    This year's Mids have one of the better scoring averages than previous Ed DeChellis-coached Navy teams (71.6 ppg).
•    Navy also is allowing opponents to score at a higher rate than most other teams during the DeChellis era (72.6 ppg).

The Flying Mids
•    Navy is trying to play at a faster pace this season.
•    Using the adjusted tempo statistic (possessions per 40 minutes) on KenPom.com, the Mids are playing at their fastest pace during the Ed DeChellis-coached era (68.1 possessions a game, 168th in the NCAA).
•    Bucknell is averaging 68.0 possessions a game to rank 175th.

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.
•    Navy ranked fourth in the Patriot League and 149th nationally in bench scoring during the 2023-24 season (20.06 ppg).
•    This year, the reserves scored 45 of the team's 86 points against Penn and 39 of 63 points against Elon.
•    The Mids are fourth in the league and 226th in the NCAA this year with an average of 20.2 bench points per game.

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 ranked first in the Patriot League and 40th nationally during the 2023-24 season with an average of 12.45 offensive rebounds per game.
•    Navy stands first in the league and 128th nationally with an average of 11.50 offensive boards a game this year.
•    Aidan Kehoe (3.44 OR/G, 1st PL, 23rd NCAA) and Donovan Draper (2.39 OR/G, 4th PL) rank among the league leaders in offensive rebounds.

At the FT Line – Austin Benigni / 2024-25 
•    Benigni ranks second in the league and 21st in the NCAA for free throws made (94).
•    He ranks second in the league and 42nd in free throws attempted (112). 
•    He also ranks second in the league and 120th nationally with a free throw percentage of 83.9 percent.
•    Benigni ranks fifth at Navy during the Patriot League era (1991-92 to present) and 21st in program history for the highest career free throw attempts per game average with 374 attempts in 80 games (4.68 fta/g).

Kehoe Lately 
•    Aidan Kehoe moved into the regular rotation during Navy's Feb. 21, 2024, game at Loyola and made his first start in the next game against Holy Cross.
•    He had totaled 26 points (1.0 ppg) and 40 rebounds (1.5 rpg) in 26 career games prior to taking to the floor against the Greyhounds.
•    Since then, he has totaled 243 points (10.1 ppg) and 210 rebounds (8.8 rpg). 

Kehoe Successful From the Floor 
•    Aidan Kehoe ranks 13th in the NCAA in field goal percentage through games of Thursday, Jan. 16.

NCAA FG Pct. Leaders (through Jan. 16)
1.    .747    Daniel Batcho, Louisiana Tech
2.    .732    Max Brooks, UMass Lowell
3.    .701    Oscar Cluff, South Dakota State
4.    .679    Oumar Ballo, Indiana
5.    .667    Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
6.    .655    Vladislav Goldin, Michigan
7.    .649    Kenny Pohto, UC Santa Barbara
8.    .644    Joe Pridgen, Montana
9.    .643    Owen Freeman, Iowa
10.    .643    David N'Guessan, Kansas State
11.    .636    Brock Wisne, Northern Colorado
12.    .621    Jaden Daugherty, Indiana State
13.    .619    Aidan Kehoe, Navy

Pennick Lately
•    Jordan Pennick had appeared in 16 games prior to Navy's Feb. 17, 2024, game at Boston U., and totaled 26 points (1.6 ppg) and 18 rebounds (1.1 rpg).
•    Since then, he has scored 202 points (8.1 ppg) and grabbed 84 rebounds (3.4 rpg).