Loyola (11-17, 6-11 Patriot League) at Navy (12-18, 9-8 Patriot League)
Saturday, March 1 • 4 p.m.
Alumni Hall • Annapolis, Md.

Series History
Overall: Navy leads, 37-13 / Patriot League: Navy leads, 16-8
Last Game: Loyola, 75-74 / Jan. 11, 2025 (Baltimore, Md.)
at Navy: Navy leads, 22-5 / Patriot League: Navy leads, 10-2
Last Game: Navy, 64-48 / March 5, 2024

Broadcast Information
Video: ESPN+ / Joe Miller, Mike Heary
Navy Radio: WNAV / Joe Miller, Mike Heary

Five Starting Notes
1 – Eight of the last nine and 15 of the last 17 league regular season games played between Navy and Loyola have been determined by single digits. 
2 – Loyola has made more three-point field goals than Navy in each of the last nine and nine of the last 10 games.
3 – Donovan Draper grabbed 16 rebounds in each of the last two games.  The last Mid to grab at least 16 rebounds in back-to-back games was Derric Turner, who had 16 boards against Jacksonville on Dec. 5, 1987, and 19 against Towson two days later.
4 – Navy can be either the No. 4, 5 or 6 seed in the Patriot League Tournament and will begin the postseason in a quarterfinal round game on Thursday, March 6 at a site to be determined. 
5 – Loyola can be either the No. 8, 9 or 10 seed and will play Tuesday, March 4 in the first round at a site to be determined.

Game Information
•    Navy closes the 2025 regular season on Saturday when the Mids play host to Loyola at 4 p.m. 
•    A video stream of the game will be available through ESPN+ and WNAV will carry the game on the radio.  Joe Miller and Mike Heary will be on the call for both.
•    The Navy-Loyola game will be the 90th and final Patriot League game of the season to tip.
•    First Command is the game sponsor

Senior Day
•    Navy will hold a senior day ceremony for the Class of 2025 starting at 3:40 p.m. on Saturday.
•    Mitch Fischer will be joined by his parents, Chuck and Brigid Fischer.
•    Lysander Rehnstrom will be joined by his father, Doug Rehnstrom.
•    Kam Summers will be joined by his mother, Kristi Summers, and brother Greg (Navy Class of 2022).

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 Loyola
•    Loyola travels to Annapolis with an overall record of 11-17 and a 5-10 record in road games.
•    The Greyhounds have posted a 6-11 record in Patriot League games.  This includes a 2-6 record in games played away from Baltimore.
•    Loyola has posted a 1-5 record in its last six games.  However, three of those losses have been by four or fewer points, including a 70-67 loss to co-first place Bucknell at home Wednesday night.

Series History
•    Navy holds a 37-13 advantage in the series with Loyola, which began during the 1909-10 season.
•    The Mids lead the Greyhounds, 22-15, in games played in Annapolis, which includes a 12-3 lead in games played in Alumni Hall.
•    The teams have been fellow members of the Patriot League since the 2013-14 season.  In that time Navy leads Loyola, 16-7, in league regular season games, which includes a 10-2 advantage in such games that have been played on The Yard.

Series Trends
•    Eight of the last nine and 15 of the last 17 league regular season games played between the teams have been determined by single digits.
•    The team leading at halftime has posted an 18-4 record over the last 24 games (two games tied).
•    Loyola has made more three-point field goals than Navy in each of the last nine and nine of the last 10 games.
•    Since Loyola joined the Patriot League, the team making more three-point field goals has posted a 15-10 record (one game tied).
•    The team grabbing more rebounds has compiled a 14-5 record over the last 19 games.
•    The team committing fewer turnovers has posted a 1-9 record over the last 10 games, as well as an 11-12 record over the last 26 games (three games tied).

On This Date
•    Navy has posted an 8-9 record in games played on March 1.  This includes a 1-2 record in Patriot League games.
•    Loyola defeated Navy, 67-65, on March 1, 2014.

Against Maryland
•    Navy has totaled a 198-80 record in games played against opponents located in Maryland. 

A Look Back (Navy 68, American 60) 
•    American held its largest lead of six points in the first half and Navy took a lead of six points early in the second half.
•    The game was tied at 56-56 with five minutes remaining.  Navy took a 64-58 lead on its way to closing the game on a 12-4 run.
•    Jordan Pennick made four second half three-point field goals and was 6-8 from three-point land in the game as he scored 22 points.  
•    Donovan Draper snared 16 rebounds, Mike Woods was 4-4 from both the field and the foul line in scoring 12 points and Aidan Kehoe added 10 points, five rebounds and three blocks.
•    Navy held a 40-28 lead on the glass.

A Look Ahead 
•    The seeding for the Patriot League Tournament is as clear as mud with just one game remaining.
•    Two teams are tied for first (12-5), tied for third (10-7), tied for fifth (9-8) and tied for ninth (5-12).
•    The only team with a locked in seed is Lafayette (7th).
•    Navy can be the Nos. 4, 5 or 6 seeds and Loyola can be the Nos. 8, 9 or 10 seeds.
•    There are a combination of 32 possible outcomes to all of the games being played Saturday.  Navy is the No. 4 seed in seven, the No. 5 seed in nine and the No. 6 seed in 16.
•    Navy's first game will be Thursday, March 6 in the quarterfinal round.  The Mids will play host to the game if they are the No. 4 seed and be on the road if they are either the Nos. 5 or 6 seeds.
•    Loyola is the No. 8 seed in 24 combinations, the No. 9 seed in four and the No. 10 seed in four.
•    The Greyhounds will open the tournament on Tuesday, March 4 in the first round.  Loyola will be at home if it is the No. 8 seed and on the road if it is either the Nos. 9 or 10 seeds.

Service Assignments
•     Seniors at the Naval Academy learned of their future service assignments on Nov. 21.
•    On the men's basketball team, Mitch Fischer received Navy aviation (flight officer), Lysander Rehnstrom received Marine Corps (ground) and Kam Summers received Navy aviation (pilot).

Draper's Rebounding of Late
•     Donovan Draper tied –– for the second time this season –– his career high of 16 rebounds during Navy's Feb. 23 game against Holy Cross.
•    He then snared 16 boards again in Navy's next game, Feb. 26 at American.
•    The last Mid to grab at least 16 rebounds in back-to-back games was Derric Turner, who had 16 boards against Jacksonville on Dec. 5, 1987, and 19 against Towson two days later.

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.
•    He reached the milestone in his 81st career game.  That ranks him 12th for the fewest games to score 1,000 points.
•    13 Mids who have played all four seasons during the program's Patriot League era have scored 1,000 points.
•    Ed DeChellis has now coached seven Navy players who have scored 1,000 career points.
•    The last to do so was John Carter Jr., on Jan. 22, 2022.
•    Benigni is tied for 20th place for the most career points by a Mid with 1,215.  

Pennick on a Good Run
•    Jordan Pennick has scored in double figures in eight of Navy's nine Patriot League wins and three times in Navy's eight league losses.
•    Pennick totaled a career-high 20 points in Navy's Jan. 26 game at Army.  He was 4-6 from three-point range and 5-8 from the floor in scoring 15 second-half points. 
•    He scored all 17 of his points in the second half Jan. 29 at Lehigh.  Pennick was 5-7 from three-point range and 6-8 from the floor in the second half.
•    He also tallied 17 points and five rebounds Feb. 15 against Army.
•    Pennick then set a new career high with 23 points in Navy's overtime victory against Holy Cross on Feb. 23.
•    The next game, Feb. 23 at American, he was 6-8 from three-point range in scoring 22 points.
•    He is averaging 15.7 points (173 total) and 4.1 rebounds a game (45) over the last 11 games.  Pennick is shooting 44.9 percent (61-136) from the floor and 39.2 percent (31-79) 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 11.37 offensive boards a game this year.
•    Aidan Kehoe (3.63 OR/G, 1st PL, 11th NCAA) and Donovan Draper (2.33 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 14 games.  Navy has totaled 154 second-chance points (11.0 ppg) and allowed 89 (6.4 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 March 1 game against Loyola having scored in double figures in 14-straight games and in 19 of the last 21 games.  The only outlier in this span was a nine-point game at Holy Cross.  He has scored 388 points (18.5 ppg) over this span.

Benigni's 20+ Point Scoring Streaks
•    Twice this season Austin Benigni has scored at least 20 points in three consecutive games.  
•    He opened the year with 23 points at Saint Joseph's, 34 against Harvard and 23 against Rider.
•    Then from Jan. 15-22, he totaled 25 points against Colgate, 23 at Bucknell and 21 vs. Boston.
•    The last Mid to score at least 20 points in as many as three-straight games was Cam Davis, who did it in three games in a row during the 2020-21 season.

500-Point Seasons
•    Austin Benigni has scored 542 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.

Points in a Patriot League Season
•    Austin Benigni set the Navy record a year ago for the most points scored during a Patriot League regular season with 332.
•    He also ranks third with 318 points this season.
•    He ranks fifth with an average of 18.71 points per game in league play this season.
•    Benigni is one of seven Mids to have scored at least 700 career points in Patriot League regular season games.

At the FT Line – Austin Benigni / 2024-25
•    Austin Benigni ranks first in the Patriot League and third in the NCAA for free throws made (175).
•    He ranks second in the league and 12th nationally in free throws attempted (205). 
•    He also ranks second in the league and 72nd nationally with a free throw percentage of 85.4 percent.
•    Benigni ranks second at Navy during the Patriot League era (1991-92 to present) and ninth in program history for the highest career free throw attempts per game average with 467 attempts in 92 games (5.08 fta/g).
•    He was 17-17 from the free throw line against Harvard, which broke the Navy and Patriot League record for the most made free throws without a miss in a game.

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.
•    Additionally, he has accounted for two of the four 500-point, 100-assist seasons at Navy.
•    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 Steals and Rebounds
•    Draper ranks seventh among the Navy career leaders in steals average.
•    Navy has scored on 81 of the 161 possessions (50.3%) in which Draper has grabbed an offensive rebound.
•    Draper ranks second among the Navy leaders for the highest career offensive rebounding average.

Draper's Points and Rebounds
•    Donovan Draper has become the second Mids to have totaled over 500 points and 500 rebounds in their first two seasons with the team.
•    He is one of five Mids have posted 500 points and 500 rebounds by the end of their junior season.

Kehoe on the Boards
•    Navy has scored on 40 of the 66 possessions (60.6%) in which Aidan Kehoe has grabbed an offensive rebound since the start of the 2025 Patriot League season.
•    Kehoe is tied with David Robinson for the most offensive rebounds in a season by a Mid (109).
•    Kehoe currently ranks third at Navy for the most defensive rebounds in a season (172).
•    Kehoe stands second at Navy to teammate Donovan Draper for the most rebounds in a season during the program's Patriot League era (281).
•    Kehoe has set a new school record for the most rebounds in a Patriot League regular season (178).
•    Kehoe ranks first at Navy for the highest rebounding average in a Patriot League regular season (10.47).

Kehoe Over the Last Year
•    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 323 points (8.9 ppg) and 328 rebounds (9.1 rpg). 

Pennick Over the Last Year
•    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 376 points (10.2 ppg), made 66 three-point baskets (1.78 fgm/g) and grabbed 130 rebounds (3.5 rpg).

Woods Lately
•    Mike Woods has score din double figures in each of the last three games.  He is averaging 12.0 points per game (36 points total) and shooting 84.2 percent (16-19) from the field in this span.
•    Over the last five games, he is shooting 79.2 percent (19-24) from the floor and has totaled 45 points (9.0ppg).