Navy (12-6 / 4-1) at Lehigh (7-11 / 3-2)
Saturday, Jan. 17  I  2 p.m.  I  Stabler Arena  I  Bethlehem, Pa.

Video / ESPN+  I  Ryan McGettigan, Matt Markus
Radio / WNAV  I  Matt Sabados

Five Starting Notes
•    The current Lehigh team has totaled 89 career points in games played against the Mids.  Navy's Austin Benigni has scored 89 career points in games played against the Mountain Hawks.  Navy as a team has totaled 202 points against Lehigh.
•    Lehigh's Nasir Whitlock leads the Patriot League in scoring (18.7 ppg) and Navy's Austin Benigni ranks second (17.5 ppg).
•    Navy's Aidan Kehoe leads the Patriot League in rebounding (10.2 ppg) and Lehigh's Hank Alvey ranks second (7.1 rpg).
•    Navy leads the Patriot League in free throws made (310) and Lehigh ranks second (243).  
•    The teams have split the last eight games in the series.  Navy is averaging 68.6 points per game in this span and Lehigh is averaging 66.8 points per game.

Game Information
•    Navy plays its second road game of the week on Saturday when the Mids travel to Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley for a 2 p.m. game against Lehigh.
•    The game in Stabler Arena will be streamed on ESPN+ while WNAV will provide radio coverage.

A Look Back
•    American took a 7-0 lead and maintained an advantage over the rest of a 65-51 victory over Navy Monday night.
•    The Eagles held the Mids to a 4-14 shooting effort in the first half while also building an 11-0 lead in offensive rebonds on their way to taking a 33-17 lead at the break.
•    The Mids had averaged 10.8 turnovers a game through four league games, but committed 11 turnovers in the first half.    
•    Navy drew to within seven points midway through the second half, but back-to-back triples gave American a 50-37 lead with 9:20 left.
•    The Mids later made it a nine-point game with five minutes left and had a possession to potentially draw closer, but the opportunity was squandered by a turnover.  The Eagles scored five points on their ensuing two possessions to seal the win.
•    American held only a 37.9%-32.7% advantage in shooting percentage, but the Eagles had 20 more shots than Navy (66-46).
•    Cam Cole led Navy with 13 points and Aidan Kehoe grabbed 15 rebounds.

Lehigh Preview
•    Lehigh has won its last three games to improve its overall record on the year to 7-11.  The team dropped non-league games to, among others, Houston, West Virginia, Rutgers and UC Santa Barbara.
•    The Mountain Hawks started Patriot League play with back-to-back losses as part of a three-game losing streak, but now enter Saturday's game with a 3-2 record against league opponents.
•    Lehigh has played four overtime games this season, two of which have been since the start of the league campaign.  The Mountain Hawks have tallied a 2-2 record in overtime games, which includes a 1-1 record in league overtime games.

Series History
•    The Navy-Lehigh series dates back to Jan. 21, 1911, when the Mids posted a 31-24 victory in Annapolis.
•    Navy holds a 57-36 lead in the series, which includes a 24-15 advantage in games played in Bethlehem.
•    The Mids also lead 38-30 in Patriot League regular season games played in the series.  The Navy lead is 21-13 in league games played at Lehigh.

Series Trends
•    The team making more three-point field goals has won nine-straight games over the last 13 games (the three-point field goal total has been tied four times).
•    The team leading at halftime has posted a 12-4 record over the last 19 games (the halftime score has been tied three times).
•    The team grabbing more rebounds has posted a 14-4 record over the last 18 games.

A Look Ahead
•    Navy returns home for a Wednesday night game against Holy Cross in Alumni Hall.

Kehoe's Shooting Leads the NCAA
•    Aidan Kehoe leads all NCAA Division I players -- through games of Thursday, Jan. 15 -- in field goal percentage this season.

Highest Field Goal Pct. / 2025-26
Rnk.    FG%.    Player, School (FGM-A)
1.    .719    Aidan Kehoe, Navy (110-153)
2.    .674    Michael Nwoko, LSU (97-144)
3.    .672    Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan (88-131)
    .672    Ven-Allen Lubiun, NC State (86-128)
5.    .669    Amani Mighty, Mercer (97-145)

•    Kehoe was 10-10 from the floor in Navy's Jan. 10 game against Lafayette.  That effort immediately followed the Jan. 7 game in which he was 8-9 from the floor against Bucknell.
•    He became the fourth Mid to be perfect from the field with at least 10 attempts in a game.

Perfect FG Pct. (Min. 10 attempts)
FG-A    Player, Opponent, Date    
12-12    David Robinson vs. East Carolina, March 7, 1985
10-10    Kevin Sinnett, Saint Francis, Jan. 14, 1978
10-10    Evan Wieck, Holy Cross, Jan. 29, 2020
10-10    Aidan Kehoe, Lafayette, Jan. 10, 2026

•    Kehoe ranked second at Navy for the highest field goal percentage in a single season in 2024-25.

Highest Field Goal Pct. / Season (Min. 200 FGA)
Rnk.    FG%.    Player, Years
1.    .644    David Robinson, 1985
2.    .621    Aidan Kehoe, 2025
3.    .620    Will Kelly, 2016

•    Kehoe also ranks among the Navy leaders for career field goal percentage.

Highest Field Goal Pct. / Career (Min. 300 FGA)
Rnk.    FG%.    Player, Years
1.    .645    Aidan Kehoe, 2023-pres.
2.    .625    Evan Wieck, 2017-20
3.    .613    David Robinson, 1985-88

Highest Field Goal Pct. / Career - PL  (Min. 150 FGA)
Rnk.    FG%.    Player, Years
1.    .633    Aidan Kehoe, 2023-pres.
2.    .618    Evan Wieck, 2017-20
3.    .610    Richard Njoku, 2019-22

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 +1,079 in offensive rebounding margin over the last 12 seasons.
•    Navy has regularly turned those second-chance opportunities into points. Navy is +983 in second-chance points scored over the last dozen years.
 
Benigni Surpasses 1,600 Points
•    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  (12th fewest games needed to score 1,000 points).
•    He then reached the 1,500-point plateau during Navy's Dec. 19, 2025, game against Coppin State and surpassed 1,600 points Jan 10 against Lafayette. 
•    He ranks among the Navy scoring leaders for both all games and Patriot League games.

Navy Career Scoring List -- All Games
Rnk.    Pts.    Player, Years
1.    2,669    David Robinson, 1984-87
----------------------------------------------------------
4.    1,687    Kevin Sinnett, 1977-79
5.    1,635    Chris Harris, 2007-10
6.    1,626    Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.

Navy Career Scoring List -- Patriot League Games
Rnk.    Pts.    Player, Years
1.    937    Greg Sprink, 2005-08
2.    832    Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.

•    Benigni is in fifth place at Navy with 79 games of scoring in double figures and fifth place with 35 career games with 20 or more points.  

10-Point Games - Career
Rnk.    No.    Player, Years
1.    108    David Robinson, 1984-87
2.    98    Vernon Butler, 1983-86
3.    85    Greg Sprink, 2005-08
4.    83    Kevin Sinnett, 1976-79
5.    79    Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.

20-Point Games - Career
Rnk.    No.    Player, Years
1.    68    David Robinson, 1984-87
2.    46    John Clune, 1952-54
3.    40    Vernon Butler, 1983-86
4.    36    Greg Sprink, 2005-08
5.    35    Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.

At the FT Line – Austin Benigni
•    This is the third season in a row in which Austin Benigni ranks among the NCAA leaders in all three free throw shooting statistics.
•    He ranks among the NCAA's active career leaders in both free throws made and attempted.

Active NCAA Career Leaders for FTM
Rnk.    FTM    Player, School
1.    564    PJ Haggerty, Kansas State
2.    550    Austin Benigni, Navy
3.    535    Freddy Hicks, Tarleton State

Active NCAA Career Leaders for FTA
Rnk.    FTA    Player, School
1.    730    Freddy Hicks, Tarleton State
2.    722    PJ Haggerty, Kansas State
3.    672    Ezra Ausar, USC
4.    662    Graham Ike, Gonzaga
5.    640    Austin Benigni, Navy

•    He also ranks among the Navy and service academy leaders for the most foul shots made and attempted in a season and career.

Most Free Throws Made in a Season at Navy (all)
Rnk.    FTM    Player, Year
1.    220    Austin Benigni, 2025
2.    208    David Robinson, 1986
3.    203    David Robinson, 1987

Most Free Throws Made - Career at Navy (all)
Rnk.    FTM    Player, Year
1.    605    David Robinson, 1984-87
2.    568    Vernon Butler, 1983-86
3.    550    Austin Benigni, 2023-pes.

Career Free Throws Made - Service Academy Players
Rnk.    FTM    Player, School, Years
1.    650    Kevin Houston, Army, 1984-87
2.    605    David Robinson, Navy, 1984-87
3.    568    Vernon Butler, Navy, 1983-86
4.    550    Austin Benigni, Navy, 2023-pres.

Most Free Throws Made - Career at Navy (PL Games)
Rnk.    FTM    Player, Year 
1.    267    Austin Benigni, 2023-pes.
2.    245    Greg Sprink, 2007-10

Most Free Throws Attempted - Season at Navy (all)
Rnk.    FTM    Player, Year
1.    331    David Robinson, 1986
2.    317    David Robinson, 1987
3.    256    John Clune, 1954
4.    255    Austin Benigni, 2025

Most Free Throws Attempted - Career at Navy (all)
Rnk.    FTA    Player, Years
1.    964    David Robinson, 1984-87
2.    777    Vernon Butler, 1983-86
3.    640    Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.

Career Free Throws Att. - Service Academy Players
Rnk.    FTA    Player, School, Years
1.    964    David Robinson, Navy, 1984-87
2.    777    Vernon Butler, Navy, 1983-86
3.    748    Kevin Houston, Army, 1984-87
4.    681    Otis Jones, Air Force, 1992-95
5.    648    Gary Winton, Army, 1975-78
6.    640    Austin Benigni, Navy, 2023-pres.

Most Free Throws Att. - Career at Navy (PL Games)
Rnk.    FTA    Player, Year
1.    319    Austin Benigni, 2023-pes.
2.    297    Shawn Anderson, 2015-18

•    Benigni ranks among the Navy and Patriot League leaders for career free throw percentage.

Highest Free Throw Pct. - Career at Navy
Rnk.    FT%    Player, Years    
1.    .859    Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.
2.    .856    John Tolmie, 1967-69
3.    .848    Chris Harris, 2007-10

Highest Free Throw Pct. - Career Patriot League
Rnk.    FT%    Player, Years    
1.    .870    Chris Spatola, Army, 1999-02
2.    .865    Brett Eppehimer, Lehigh, 1996-99
3.    .859    Austin Benigni, Navy, 2023-pres.
4.    .848    Chris Harris, Navy, 2007-10

Benigni Leading in Points and Assists
•     Austin Benigni typically has led the Mids in either points or assists –– and occasionally both –– in a game, especially since the start of his 2023-24 season.  He has done so 38 times in his career.

•     Benigni is the second Mid with 1,500 points and 300 assists in a career and the first 1,600 / 400 Mid.

Mids with 1,000 Points and 300 Assists / Career
Player, Years    Points    Assists
Kaleo Kina, 2006-09    1,528    392
Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.    1,626    413

•     He ranks among the Navy leaders for career assists.

Most Career Assists / All Games (since 1971-72)
Rnk.    Asts.    Player, Years
1.    714    Doug Wojcik, 1985-87
----------------------------------------------------------
7.    421    Mickey Hampton, 1973-75
8.    413    Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.

Most Career Assists / PL Games (since 1971-72)
Rnk.    Asts.    Player, Years
1.    270    Brian Walker, 1994-97
2.    210    Hasan Abdullah, 2016-19
3.    206    Tilman Dunbar, 2013-16
4.    197    Victor Mickel 1992-94
5.    195    Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.

•     Benigni is one of seven active players who have only played on the NCAA Division I level with both 1,600 points and 400 assists.

Active NCAA Players with 1,600 Points and 400 Assists  
(only played on the Division I level)
Player, School    Points    Assists
Nijel Peck, Oklahoma    2,012    418
Bruce Thornton, Ohio State    1,815    470
Boopie Miller, SMU    1,715    552
Austin Benigni, Navy    1,626    413
Jacari Lane, Texas A&M    1,625    431
Braden Smith, Purdue    1,617    922
Duke Miles, Vanderbilt    1,610    404

•     He is the fourth Patriot League player -- during each team's Patriot League era -- with 1,600 points and 400 assists. 

Patriot League Players with 1,600 Points and 400 Assists (league era only)
Player, School, Years    Points    Assists
Sa'eed Nelson, American, 2017-20    2,116    521
Jordan Burns, Colgate, 2018-21    1,666    503
Tucker Richardson, Colgate, 2019-23    1,740    626
Austin Benigni, Navy, 2023-pres    1,626    413

•     Benigni is one of three Mids to rank among Navy's top-10 statistical leaders in both career points and assists.

Navy's Top-10 Players in Points and Assists  
Player, School, Years    Points    Assists
Rob Romaine, 1981-84    10th / 1,394    3rd / 523
Kaleo Kina, 2006-09    9th / 1,528    9th / 392
Austin Benigni, 2023-pres    6th / 1,626    8th / 413

Benigni Among Minutes Played Leaders 
•     Austin Benigni enters the game leading the Patriot League and ranked 34th nationally with an average of 35:02 of playing time a game this season.
•    He ranks among the Navy leaders for the most minutes played in a career.

Most Minutes Played / Career (since 1982-83)
Rnk.    MP    Player, Years
1.    4,391    Vernon Butler, 1983-86
2.    3,795    David Robinson, 1984-87
3.    3,473    Greg Sprink, 2005-08
4.    3,461    Cliff Rees, 1985-88
5.    3,448    Chris Harris, 2007-10
6.    3,391    Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.

Draper and Kehoe -- Double-Doubles
•    Donovan Draper and Aidan Kehoe each rank among the Navy leaders in career double-doubles. 

Most Double-Doubles - Career at Navy
Rnk.    No.    Player, Years
1.    74    David Robinson, 1984-87
----------------------------------------------------------
7.    22    Chris Reddington, 1964-66
8.    21    Hassan Booker, 1995-98
9.    19    Jay Metzler, 1958-60
10.    16    Aidan Kehoe, 2023-pres.
11.    15    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.

Draper and Kehoe -- Rebounds
•    Aidan Kehoe set a Navy record in 2024-25 for the most offensive boards by a Mid in a season.
•    Both he and Donovan Draper rank among the Navy leaders in Navy season and career leaders in multiple rebounding categories.

Most Offensive Rebounds / Season (since 1986-87)
Rnk.    Pts.    Player, Year    
1.    115    Aidan Kehoe, 2025
2.    109    David Robinson, 1987

Most Offensive Rebounds / Career (since 1986-87)
Rnk.    OR    Player, Years
1.    331    Eddie Reddick, 1988-91
----------------------------------------------------------
6.    225    Tom Lacey, 2015-18
7.    216    Worth Smith, 2012-15
8.    215    Aidan Kehoe, 2023-pres.
9.    209    Francis Ebong, 2000-03
10.    207    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.

Highest OR/G Average / Career (since 1986-87)
Rnk.    OR/G    Player, Years
1.    2.98    Eddie Reddick, 1988-91
2.    2.56    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.
    2.56    Aidan Kehoe, 2023-pres.

Most Offensive Rebounds / PL Season (since 1986-87)
Rnk.    Pts.    Player, Year    
1.    72    Aidan Kehoe, 2025
2.    69    Evan Wieck, 2019
3.    57    Donovan Draper, 2024

Most Defensive Rebounds / Season (since 1986-87)
Rnk.    DR    Player, Year    
1.    269    David Robinson, 1987
2.    193    Donovan Draper, 2025
3.    189    Donovan Draper, 2024
4.    187    Aidan Kehoe, 2025

Most Defensive Rebounds / Career (since 1986-87)
Rnk.    DR    Player, Years
1.    544    Eddie Reddick, 1988-91
2.    455    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.

Highest DR/G Average / Career (since 1986-87)
Rnk.    DR/G    Player, Years
1.    5.62    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.
2.    4.91    Eddie Reddick, 1988-91
3.    4.36    Sitapha Savane, 1998-00
4.    4.26    Aidan Kehoe, 2023-pres.
5.    4.25    J.J. Avila, 2011-12

Most Defensive Rebounds / PL Season (since 1986-87)
Rnk.    Pts.    Player, Year    
1.    117    Donovan Draper, 2025
2.    112    Aidan Kehoe, 2025
3.    104    Donovan Draper, 2024

•    Draper is the second Mid to have totaled over 500 points and 500 rebounds in their first two seasons with the team.

Mids with 500 Pts. & 500 Rebs. in First 2 Seasons
Vernon Butler – 1983, 1984
Donovan Draper – 2024, 2025

•    Draper grabbed the 600th rebound of his career Nov. 18 at North Carolina and now ranks eighth at Navy for the most career caroms.
•    He snared the 600th board of his career in his 70th game, making him the third fastest to 600 rebounds.

Most Career Rebounds / All Games
Rnk.    Rebs.    Player, Years 
1.    1,314    David Robinson, 1984-87
----------------------------------------------------------
7.    702    Larry Wigley, 1952-55 
8.    662    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.

Most Career Rebounds / PL Games
Rnk.    Rebs.    Player, Years
1.    348    Worth Smith, 2012-15
2.    342    Greg Summers, 2019-22
3.    335    Tom Lacey, 2015-18
4.    329    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.

•    Draper is one of 12 Mids to have totaled both 600 points and 600 rebounds in a career.

Mids with 600 Points and 600 Rebounds / Career
Player, Years    Points    Rebounds
Don Lange, 1952-54    1,344    785
Richard Brown, 1958-60    657    645
Hank Kuzma, 1975-78    1,388    749
Kevin Sinnett, 1976-79    1,687    797
Vernon Butler, 1983-86    1,952    1,115
David Robinson, 1984-87    2,669    1,315
Eddie Reddick, 1988-91    1,366    875
Hassan Booker, 1995-98    931    628
Jordan Sugars, 2009-12    1,346    624
Worth Smith, 2012-15    1,172    603
Tom Lacey, 2015-18    679    611
Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.    698    662

Draper's Steals
•    Donovan Draper spent the 2021-22 academic year as a football player at the Naval Academy Prep School.  He then was wide receiver at Navy on the 2022-23 team.
•    Draper, who was an all-county basketball player in high school, joined the Navy basketball team in the spring of 2023.
•    After going 994 days between his last high school basketball game and first as a Mid, he made an immediate impact as he ranked among the Patriot League and NCAA leaders in multiple statistical categories (steals, offensive rebounds, total rebounds).
•    He ranks among the Navy career leaders in steals and steals per game.

Navy Career Steals List (since 1982-83)
Rnk.    Stls.    Player, Years (games)
1.    209    Chris Williams, 1998-01 (111)
----------------------------------------------------------
6.    160    David Robinson, 1984-87 (127)
7.    142    Hassan Booker, 1995-98 (101)
8.    140    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres. (80)

Highest Career Steals / Game (since 1982-83)
Rnk.    Pts.    Player, Years    
1.    1.93    Skip Victor, 1996-99
2.    1.88    Chris Williams, 1998-01
3.    1.81    Corey Johnson, 2005-07
4.    1.79    Hasan Abdullah, 2016-19
5.    1.77    J.J. Avila, 2011-12
6.    1.74    Brian Walker, 1994-97
7.    1.73    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.

•     Draper is the third Mid to rank among Navy's top-10 statistical leads in both career rebounds and steals**.

Navy's Top-10 Players in Points and Steals**  
Player, School, Years    Rebounds    Steals**
David Robinson, 1984-87    1st / 1,394    6th / 160
Hassan Booker, 1995-98    9th / 628    7th / 142
Donovan Draper, 2024-pres    8th / 662    8th / 140
** Steals began being tracked with the 1982-83 season