Holy Cross (13-15, 5-10 Patriot League) at Navy (10-18, 7-8 Patriot League)
Sunday, Feb. 23 • 2 p.m.
Alumni Hall • Annapolis, Md.

Series History
Overall: Holy Cross leads, 48-30 / Patriot League: Holy Cross leads, 38-27
Last Game: Holy Cross, 70-59 / Jan. 8, 2025 (Worcester, Mass.)
at Navy: Navy leads, 19-18 / Patriot League: Navy leads, 17-15
Last Game: Navy, 76-66 / Feb. 25, 2024

Broadcast Information
Video: ESPN+ / Matt Sabados, Mike Heary
Navy Radio: WNAV / Matt Sabados, Mike Heary

Five Starting Notes
1 – The first two meetings between Navy and Holy Cross occurred in the 1947 (first round) and 1953 (first round) NCAA Tournaments.  The Crusders won both games. 
2 – Navy has finished with more rebounds in 16 of the last 19 games against Holy Cross.
3 – Donovan Draper is 11 rebounds shy of joining Vernon Butler as the only Mids to have totaled 500 points and 500 rebounds through their first two seasons, as well as Navy's fifth 500-500 player by the end of a junior season.
4 – Jordan Pennick has scored in double figures in each of the last five and eight of the last nine games.
5 – The Mids have scored more second-chance points than their foes in 12 of the last 13 games.

Game Information
•    The last week of the regular season begins for Navy on Sunday when it plays host to Holy Cross in a 2 p.m. game in Alumni Hall.
•    A video stream of the game will be available through ESPN+ and WNAV will carry the game on the radio.
•    Matt Sabados and Mike Heary will be on the call for both broadcasts.

Attending the Game
•    Only those vehicles driven by someone with a Department of Defense (DoD)-approved identification card will be allowed onto the USNA.
•    Fans without DoD approved vehicle access to the USNA must park outside of The Yard.  The simplest way to do this is to park ($10 per vehicle) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (550 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, Md., 21401).  Enter the blue / west parking lot through gate 5 off of Taylor Avenue.  The free fan shuttle bus will leave from and return to the Blue Angel jet.  Fan shuttle bus hours begin one hour before tip and ends one hour after the conclusion of the game.
•    Fans also can park downtown and walk through the gate one visitors center (52 King George St., Annapolis, MD, 21402) or gate eight.
•    Whether a visitor rides the shuttle bus or walks through one of the USNA gates, everyone ages 18 and over must have a valid picture ID (i.e.: State issued driver's license, student I.D., or a government issued passport). Visitors ages 17 and younger who do not have a valid picture ID must be accompanied by an adult. 

About Holy Cross
•    Holy Cross travels to Annapolis with an overall record of 13-15 this season.  The Crusaders have posted a 4-10 record in true road games on the year.
•    Holy Cross has posted a 5-10 record in Patriot League play.  This includes a 1-6 record in road games.
•    The Crusaders halted a two-game losing streak Wednesday with a 74-69 overtime game victory against Lafayette in Worcester.

Series History
•    The first two meetings between Navy and Holy Cross occurred in the 1947 (first round) and 1953 (first round) NCAA Tournaments.  The Crusaders won both games (55-47 and 87-74, respectively).  Holy Cross would go on to win the 1947 NCAA Tournament and reach the regional final of the 1953 event.
•    Holy Cross holds a 48-30 advantage in the overall series between the teams.  However, Navy has a slim 19-18 lead in games played in Annapolis (19-15 in games played in Alumni Hall).
•    The Crusaders also lead the Patriot League regular season series by the count of 38-27.  The Mids hold a 17-15 edge in such games played on The Yard (17-14 in Alumni Hall).

Series Trends
•    The team leading at halftime has posted a 19-5 record over the last 26 games (one tie).
•    The team making more three-point field goals has posted an 8-2 record over the last 11 games (one tie).
•    The team grabbing more rebounds has posted a 19-8 record over the last 27 games.
•    Navy has finished with more rebounds in 16 of the last 19 games.
•    The team with fewer turnovers has posted just a 12-10 record in the last 27 games (five ties).

On This Date
•    Navy has posted a 15-10 record in games played on Feb. 23.  This includes a 4-6 record in Patriot League games.
•    Sunday's game will be the fourth in the series to be played on Feb. 23.

Against Massachusetts
•    Navy has totaled a 67-74 record in games played against opponents located in Massachusetts. 

A Look Back (Colgate 79, Navy 75)
•    Colgate scored on eight of nine possessions to take a 23-14 lead and shot 64.3 percent in the first half to lead by as many as 12 points.  
•    The margin was 10 at the half, then Navy made it a 50-45 game early in the second half.
•    Colgate built a 63-48 lead with 12 minutes still to play.  It still was a 73-61 lead for the Raiders with five minutes left, then Navy quickly chipped away at the margin and tied the game at 75-75 with 1:40 to go.
•    Colgate scored on its next possession, then Navy had a missed shot that was grabbed by Colgate.  The Raiders would score again with 24 seconds left.
•    Navy made more field goals and three-point field goals, but was outshot percentage wise (54.9%-49.2%) and was just 8-16 from the foul line (6-13 in second half) while Colgate was 17-21 from the stripe (12-15 after halftime).
•    Jordan Pennick scored 18 points.

A Look Ahead 
•    Navy stays local for its last road game of the regular season Wednesday night when it plays at American.

Benigni Scores 1,000th Point
•    Austin Benigni became the 27th Mid to score 1,000 career points during Navy's Jan. 18 game at Bucknell.
•    Benigni is in 23rd place for the most career points by a Mid with 1,178 points.  

Pennick on a Good Run
•    Jordan Pennick has scored in double figures in six of Navy's seven Patriot League wins and three times in Navy's eight league losses.
•    He is averaging 14.2 points (128 total) and 4.1 rebounds a game (37) over the last nine games.  Pennick is shooting 42.2 percent (46-109) from the floor and 34.4 percent (22-64) from three-point land in this span.

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 117th nationally with an average of 11.43 offensive boards a game this year.
•    Aidan Kehoe (3.71 OR/G, 1st PL, 9th NCAA) and Donovan Draper (2.14 OR/G, 4th PL) rank among the league leaders in offensive rebounds.

Second-Chance Points 
•    Navy has regularly turned those second-chance opportunities into points. 
•    The Mids have scored more second-chance points than their foes in 12 of the last 13 games.  Navy has totaled 148 second-chance points (11.4 ppg) and allowed 80 (6.2 ppg) in this span.

Benigni's 10+ Point Scoring Streaks
•    Austin Benigni saw his streak of 26 games with scoring in double figures come to an end when he scored eight points in 18 minutes of playing time Nov. 25 against Washington (Md.).  
•    His run of 26 games is tied for fifth place for the longest streak of scoring in double figures in school history.
•    Benigni enters the Feb. 23 game against Holy Cross having scored in double figures in 12-straight games and in 18 of the last 19 games.  The only outlier in this span was a nine-point game at Holy Cross.  He has scored 351 points (18.5 ppg) over this span.

500-Point Seasons
•    Austin Benigni has scored 505 points this season.
•    This is after he totaled 526 points in 2023-24.
•    He has become the fourth Mid to have scored 500 points in multiple seasons.

At the FT Line – Austin Benigni / 2024-25
•    Austin Benigni ranks first in the Patriot League and sixth in the NCAA for free throws made (158).
•    He ranks second in the league and 18th nationally in free throws attempted (182). 
•    He also ranks second in the league and 59th nationally with a free throw percentage of 86.8 percent.
•    Benigni ranks third at Navy during the Patriot League era (1991-92 to present) and 17th in program history for the highest career free throw attempts per game average with 444 attempts in 90 games (4.93 fta/g).
•    Benigni ranks among the Navy leaders for career free throw percentage (T-1st, 85.6%).

Benigni Leading in Points and Assists
•     Austin Benigni typically has led the Mids in either points or assists –– and occasionally both –– in a game since the start of the 2023-24 season.
•     Benigni is on pace to become the third Mid to lead the team in total points and assists in multiple seasons since assists began being tracked with the 1972-73 season.
•     Benigni has become the eighth Mid with 1,000 points and 300 assists in a career.
•     Benigni also has posted the second 400-point, 100-assist season of his career and the 10th by a Mid.
•    Benigni enters the game leading the Patriot League in scoring and ranked second in assists.
•    Since the league expanded to 10 teams starting with the 2013-14 season, a player has finished among the top-three in both statistical rankings three times.

Draper's Points and Rebounds
•    Donovan Draper is 11 rebounds away from becoming the second Mids to have totaled over 500 points and 500 rebounds in their first two seasons with the team.
•    Only four Mids have posted 500 points and 500 rebounds by the end of their junior season.

Kehoe on the Boards
•    Navy has scored on 39 of the 62 possessions (62.9%) in which Aidan Kehoe has grabbed an offensive rebound since the start of the 2025 Patriot League season.
•    Kehoe currently ranks second at Navy for the most offensive rebounds in a season with 104.
•    Kehoe currently ranks third at Navy for the most defensive rebounds in a season with 164.
•    Kehoe stands second at Navy to teammate Donovan Draper for the most rebounds in a season during the program's Patriot League era with 268.

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 313 points (9.2 ppg) and 315 rebounds (9.3 rpg). 

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 331 points (952 ppg), made 57 three-point baskets (1.63 fgm/g) and grabbed 122 rebounds (3.5 rpg).