Men's Basketball | 12/5/2025 10:54:00 AM

Air Force (3-7 / 0-0 Mountain West) at Navy (5-5 / 0-0 Patriot League)
Sunday, Dec. 7  I  Noon  I  Alumni Hall  I  Annapolis, Md.
Video     ESPN+  I  Matt Sabados, Mike Heary
Radio    WNAV, WFED  I  Matt Sabados, Mike Heary

Five Starting Notes
•    Navy and Air Force will meet Sunday in what will be the first game in the series in 20 years. 
•    It will be Navy's fourth home game of the year and also the third game away from Colorado Springs for Air Force. 
•    Air Force is the only current Mountain West Conference team to have played a game in Annapolis.
•    The only Patriot League teams Air Force has faced on the road are Army and Navy. 
•    Navy will be in Alumni Hall for each of its remaining four games in the 2025 calendar year.  This is after having played just three home games thus far this season.

Game Information
•    Navy will be back in Alumni Hall Sunday for the first time in two weeks when the Mids play host to Air Force in what is the first meeting of the teams in two decades.  
•    The teams will tip at noon, with the men's game being followed by the Navy women's team playing host to Iona at 3 p.m.
•    The men's game will be streamed on ESPN+ while both WNAV and WFED will carry the radio broadcast of the contest.

A Look Back
•    Navy never trailed, but never had an overly comfortable lead in a 66-59 victory over Delaware State Wednesday night in Dover, Del.
•    The Mids started the game on a 15-0 run only to see the Hornets close to within 23-19 late in the first half.  Navy answered with a 10-0 run on its way to building a 36-21 lead at halftime.
•    Delaware State whittled the margin down to one point at 41-40 seven minutes into the second half.  Another 10-0 Navy run gave it a little breathing room at 51-40 with eight minutes remaining.
•    The Hornets drew to within four points at 58-54 and 60-56, but the Mids made timely free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
•    Mike Woods set a career high with 18 points.
•    Aidan Kehoe posted his third double-double of the year with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Air Force Preview
•    Air Force posted an overall record of 4-28 a season ago and placed 11th in the Mountain West Conference with a 1-19 record.
•    The Falcons placed 12th in this year's conference preseason poll.
•    Air Force has posted a 3-7 record this year, which includes a 0-2 record in games played away from Colorado Springs.
•    The Falcons have lost their last three games.

Series History
•    Navy and Air Force first faced each other on Jan. 13, 1968.
•    Air Force leads the overall series with Navy by the count of 14-11.  The Falcons have won the last four games in the series.
•    The Mids hold a 7-5 edge in games played in Annapolis.  This includes a 5-3 lead in games played in Alumni Hall.
•    Sunday's game is the first between the teams in 20 seasons.  They last met on Nov. 27, 2005, when the Falcons won a 64-55 decision in Annapolis.

On This Date
•    Navy has posted a 7-20 record in games played on Dec. 7.

Against This State 
•    Navy has posted a 14-14 record against teams located in Colorado.
•    In addition to Air Force, Navy also has posted a 3-0 record against Denver.

Navy vs. Mountain West Conference
•    Navy has tallied an 11-19 record against teams currently in the Mountain West Conference.
•    Air Force is the only current Mountain West Conference team to have played a game in Annapolis.

Air Force vs. Patriot League
•    The Falcons have compiled a 23-21 record against teams in the Patriot League.  
•    Air Force has posted a 6-9 record in road games played against current teams in the Patriot League.  Among league teams, the Falcons have faced only Army (1-2) and Navy (5-7) on the road.

A Look Ahead
•    Navy takes a break for exams and then plays host to Coppin State on Dec. 19 and Rosemont on Dec. 21 before the Christmas holiday.

Service Assignments Announced
•    Seniors at the USNA learned of their service assignments upon graduating from Navy this spring during lunch on Thursday, Nov. 20.
•    Those entering the Navy will do so with the rank of Ensign and those entering the Marine Corps will be 2nd Lieutenants.
•    The seniors on the men's basketball team received the following assignments:

Austin Benigni - Navy aviation (pilot)
Cam Cormany - Navy aviation (flight officer)
Donovan Draper - Navy information warfare
Aidan Kehoe - Navy surface warfare (nuclear)
Sam Krist - Marine Corps ground
Mike Woods - Navy surface warfare

On the Road Again, and Again and Again
•    Navy played at least one road game in each of the first five weeks of the season.

Week of / Road Games
Nov. 2-9 / at Presbyterian (Nov. 3)
Nov. 10-16 / at Penn State (Nov. 11)
Nov. 17-23 / at North Carolina (Nov. 18)
Nov. 24-30 / 3 Games at UNCW (Nov. 26-29)
Dec. 1-7 / at Delaware State (Dec. 3)

Happy Anniversary
•     The 2025-26 season marks 40 years since the 1985-86 Mids advanced to the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament.
•    Behind then-junior David Robinson, Navy compiled a 30-5 overall record and defeated Tulsa, Syracuse and Cleveland State in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Duke in the regional final.  
•    Robinson was the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year and earned multiple All-America accolades.  He averaged 22.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.9 blocks per game.  He recorded 207 blocks on the year, which bettered every team in the country except for the 213 by eventual national champion Louisville.
•    The 30 victories remains a service academy record.

Woods to Captain Mids
•     Mike Woods will serve as the captain of the men's basketball team for the 2025-26 season.

Home in Alumni Hall
•     Alumni Hall has been home to the Navy basketball teams since the 1991-92 season.
•    The Mids have compiled an overall record of 291-190 record in the facility.
•    There have been 61 future NBA players to play in Alumni Hall since it opened.
•    The court was christened Dave Smalley Court during the 2005-06 season.
•    Smalley was associated with Navy athletics for over 50 years as a player, coach, physical education instructor and administrator.
•    The 1957 graduate of the USNA scored 856 points during his three varsity seasons.  He also played on the Navy baseball team before he served five years as an officer in the Marine Corps.
•    Smalley later served as an assistant coach for the men's team for four years before becoming the head coach beginning with the 1966-67 season.  He stayed in that role until becoming the first Navy women's basketball coach in the summer of 1976.

Navy in the NCAA Rankings
•     Navy as a team and several of its players are scattered through the NCAA statistical rankings released the morning of Friday, Dec. 5.

Team
Fouls / Game    77th    16.3
Free Throw Pct.    75th    75.0%
Free Throws Made / Game    95th    17.4
Individuals
>> Austin Benigni
Assists    59th    44
Field Goal Attempts    45th    121
Free Throw Attempts    20th    67
Free Throw Pct.    87th    88.1%
Free Throws Made    7th    59
Minutes    13th    35:48
Points    62nd    160
>> Donovan Draper
Rebounds    62nd    71
Defensive Rebounds / Game    79th    5.60
Steals    32nd    20
Steals / Game    80th    2.00
>> Aidan Kehoe
Field Goal Pct.    8th    67.9%
Field Goals Made    63rd    55
Rebounds    16th    85
Offensive Rebounds / Game    39th    3.30
Rebounds / Game    58th    8.5
>> Mike Woods
Free Throw Pct.    95th    87.5%

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 are +1,061 in offensive rebounding margin over the last 12 seasons.

Three-Point Plays 
•    Austin Benigni (47) and Donovan Draper (27) lead the team for the most career three-point play opportunities.
•    Benigni has had at least one three-point play opportunity in 36 career games, as well as in 31 of the 75 games since the start of his sophomore year.

Benigni Nears 1,500th Point
•    Austin Benigni became the 27th Mid to score 1,000 career points during Navy's Jan. 18, 2025, game at Bucknell.
•    He reached the milestone in his 81st career game.  That ranks him 12th for the fewest games needed to score 1,000 points.
•    Benigni is in 10th place for the most career points by a Mid with 1,471 points.  
•    Benigni is in a tie for ninth place at Navy with 30 career games with 20 or more points.  

At the FT Line – Austin Benigni
•    Austin Benigni ranked fifth in the NCAA for the most free throws made during the 2024-25 season with 220.
•    He also ranked fifth nationally with 255 free throws attempted.
•    Additionally, his free throw percentage of 86.3 percent ranked first in the league and 56th nationally.
•    Benigni set the Navy record for the most foul shots made in a season, and also ranks among the Navy and service academy leaders for the most free throws made in a career.
•    He ranks third at Navy and sixth among service academy players with 501 career free throws made.

Donovan Draper's Double-Doubles
•    Though he has played a little more than only two full seasons, Donovan Draper ranks 10th at Navy with 15 career double-doubles. 

Draper's Steals and Rebounds
•    Donovan ranks among the Navy career leaders in steals (12th / 131) and steals per game (6th / 1.75 spg).
•    Navy has scored on 99 of the 189 possessions (52.4%) in which Draper has grabbed an offensive rebound.
•    Draper ranks among the Navy leaders for the most career offensive rebounds (9th / 194) and the highest career offensive rebounding average (2nd / 2.59 orpg).
•    He is one of five Mids have posted 500 points and 500 rebounds by the end of their junior season.
•    He grabbed the 600th rebound of his career Nov. 18 at North Carolina and now ranks 10th at Navy for the most career caroms.
•    Draper snared the 600th board of his career in his 70th game, making him the third fastest to 600 rebounds.
•    He ranks ninth at Navy with 633 career rebounds.

Kehoe on the Boards
•    Aidan Kehoe set a Navy record in 2024-25 for the most offensive boards by a Mid in a season with 115.
•    Kehoe also ranked third at Navy for the most defensive rebounds in a season with his effort last year with 187.
•    He ranks among the Navy career leaders in offensive rebounding average (4th / 2.49 orpg).

Kehoe Shooting
•    Aidan Kehoe ranked second at Navy for the highest field goal percentage in a single season in 2024-25 with a mark of 62.1%.
•    Kehoe also ranks among the Navy leaders for career field goal percentage with a mark of 62.2%.