Navy (9-5 / 1-0) at Holy Cross (6-8 / 1-0)
Saturday, Jan. 3  I  2 p.m.  I  Hart Center  I  Worcester, Mass.

Video     ESPN+  I  Kevin Gehl, Jacob VonRyn
Radio    WNAV  I  Matt Sabados

Five Starting Notes
•    Navy has now won its Patriot League opener in eight-straight years. Colgate has the second-longest current winning streak in league openers with four in a row.
•    Navy is attempting to start a Patriot League season with a 2-0 record for the second year in a row and the fifth time in the last eight seasons.  Holy Cross last started a league campaign with back-to-back wins in 2022-23.
•    Austin Benigni needs two assists to become the seventh Patriot League player (league era only for the schools) with both 1,500 points and 400 assists in a career.
•    Navy ranks first in the league (all games) in scoring defense (65.4 ppg) and Holy Cross ranks second (72.2 ppg).
•    Holy Cross ranks ninth in the league (all games) with an average of 6.8 three-point field goals made a game and Navy ranks 10th at 6.4 treys made a game.

Game Information
•    The Mids travel to Worcester, Mass., for their first road game of the Patriot League season Saturday at Holy Cross.  The game will tip at 2 p.m. in the Hart Center.
•    ESPN+ will provide a video stream of the game with WNAV providing radio coverage.

A Look Back
•    Navy led for the final 26 minutes of an 82-77 victory over Boston University Wednesday in the Patriot League opener for both teams.
•    The Terriers sliced a 35-30 halftime deficit down to one point at 37-36 in the early moments of the second half.  Navy answered by taking leads of 45-38, 50-41 and 57-45 before building a 65-49 lead with five minutes remaining.
•    Boston was able to chip away late and it was a 79-74 game with 24.3 seconds left.  The Mids were 3-4 from the foul line down the stretch to seal the win.
•    Navy was led by Austin Benigni with 27 points and eight assists and by Aidan Kehoe with 15 points and 15 rebounds.  Jordan Pennick also tallied 18 points.
•    The Mids held a 37-28 lead on the glass and were 22-30 from the foul line in contrast to the 10-12 effort by Boston.

Opening Night Notes
•    Navy has now won its Patriot League opening game in a school-best eight-straight seasons (2019-26).
•    That breaks the previous Navy record for the longest run of winning the program's Patriot League opener when the Mids won six in a row from 1996-01.
•    The next longest active winning streak in Patriot League opening games is Colgate with four in a row.
•    The Mids have started a league season with a 2-0 record 11 times, including four of the last seven seasons.

Holy Cross Preview
•    Holy Cross has posted an overall record of 6-8 this year, which includes a 4-2 record in home games.
•    The Crusaders ended a brief two-game skid (Dartmouth, Harvard) with a 65-58 victory over Bucknell Wednesday in Worcester.
•    Holy Cross opened the season with road losses to Providence, BYU and Utah.

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 48-31 advantage in the overall series between the teams.  This includes a 26-10 lead in games played in Worcester.
•    The Crusaders also lead the Patriot League regular season series by the count of 38-28.  Holy Cross has posted a 23-10 record against Navy in games played in the Hart Center.

Series Trends
•    The team leading at halftime has posted a 19-6 record over the last 27 games (one tie).
•    The team making more three-point field goals has posted an 8-3 record over the last 12 games (one tie).
•    The team grabbing more rebounds has posted a 19-9 record over the last 28 games.
•    Navy has finished with more rebounds in 16 of the last 20 games.
•    The team with fewer turnovers has posted just a 13-10 record in the last 28 games (five ties).

On This Date
•    Navy has posted an 11-6 record in games played on Jan. 3.  That includes a 4-0 record in Patriot League games.  
•    Those four league wins have been by a total of 16 points, with the last two coming by a total of five points.

Navy vs. Massachusetts
•    Navy has compiled a 69-74 record against teams located in Massachusetts.
•    The Mids have tallied a 27-39 record in games played in Massachusetts.

A Look Ahead
•    Navy returns home to start back-to-back games in Alumni Hall with a Wednesday tilt against Bucknell.

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 +1,085 in offensive rebounding margin over the last 12 seasons.
•    Navy has regularly turned those second-chance opportunities into points. 
•    The Mids are +976 points in second-chance points in the last 12 years.
 
Benigni Scores 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.
•    He then reached the 1,500-point plateau during Navy's Dec. 19 game against Coppin State. 
•    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
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6.    1,590    Mike Heary, 1995-98
7.    1,561    John Clune, 1952-54
8.    1,551    Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.

Navy Career Scoring List -- Patriot League Games
Rnk.    Pts.    Player, Years
1.    937    Greg Sprink, 2005-08
2.    811    Chris Harris, 2007-10
3.    779    Shawn Anderson, 2015-18
4.    757    Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.

•    Benigni is in a tie for eighth place at Navy with 75 games of scoring in double figures and is in a tie for sixth place with 33 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.    78    Chris Harris, 2007-10
    78    Kaleo Kina, 2006-09
7.    76    Chris Williams, 1998-01
8.    75    Michael Heary, 1995-98
    75    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.    34    Don Lange, 1952-54
6.    33    John Tolmie, 1967-69
    33    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.

Benigni in Annual NCAA Rankings for FT Shooting
        2023-24    2024-25    2025-26
FTM    22nd    5th    5th
FTA    38th    5th    23rd
FT%    96th    56th    81st

•    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.    542    PJ Haggerty, Kansas State
2.    530    Austin Benigni, Navy
3.    524    Freddy Hicks, Tarleton State

Active NCAA Career Leaders for FTA
Rnk.    FTA    Player, School
1.    715    Freddy Hicks, Tarleton State
2.    691    PJ Haggerty, Kansas State
3.    642    Ezra Ausar, USC
    642    Graham Ike, Gonzaga
5.    618    Austin Benigni, Navy

•    He also ranks among the Navy and service academy leaders for 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.    530    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.    530    Austin Benigni, Navy, 2023-pres.

Most Free Throws Made - Career at Navy (PL Games)
Rnk.    FTM    Player, Year 
1.    247    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.    618    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.    618    Austin Benigni, Navy, 2023-pres.

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

•    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.    .858    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.    .858    Austin Benigni, Navy, 2023-pres.
4.    .848    Chris Harris, Navy, 2007-10

Benigni Leading in Points and Assists
•     Benigni became 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.

Mids to Lead in Points and Assists in Multiple Seasons
Jason Jeanpierre ‑ 2002, 2003    
Cam Davis - 2020, 2021    
Austin Benigni - 2024, 2025

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

Mids with 1,000 Points and 300 Assists / Career
Player, Years    Points    Assists
Kaleo Kina, 2006-09    1,528    392
Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.    1,524    398

•     He ranks among the Navy leaders for career assists.

Most Career Assists (since 1971-72)
Rnk.    Asts.    Player, Years
1.    714    Doug Wojcik, 1985-87
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7.    421    Mickey Hampton, 1973-75
8.    398    Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.

•     Benigni is one of nine active players who have played only on the NCAA Division I level with both 1,500 points and 300 assists.

Active NCAA Players with 1,500 Points and 300 Assists  
(only played on the Division I level)
Player, School    Points    Assists
Nijel Peck, Oklahoma    1,957    409
Bruce Thornton, Ohio State    1,739    459
Robbie Avila, Saint Louis    1,723    384
Boopie Miller, SMU    1,641    531
Jacari Lane, Texas A&M    1,581    416
Duke Miles, Vanderbilt    1,553    394
Donovan Dent, UCLA    1,551    572
Braden Smith, Purdue    1,538    881
Austin Benigni, Navy    1,551    398

•     He is on the verge of becoming the seventh Patriot League player with 1,500 points and 400 assists. 

Patriot League Players with 1,500 Points and 400 Assists  (league era only)
Player, School, Years    Points    Assists
Marquis Hall, Lehigh, 2007-10    1,514    566
Sa'eed Nelson, American, 2017-20    2,116    521
Nick Lindner, Lafayette, 2014-17    1,509    519
Tommy Funk, Army, 2017-20    1,544    728
Jordan Burns, Colgate, 2018-21    1,666    503
Tucker Richardson, Colgate, 2019-23    1,740    626
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Austin Benigni, Navy, 2023-pres    1,551    398

•     Benigni is one of three Mids to rank among the 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    8th / 1,551    8th / 398

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. 

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

Draper's Steals and Rebounds
•    Donovan Draper 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)
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6.    160    David Robinson, 1984-87 (127)
7.    142    Hassan Booker, 1995-98 (101)
8.    139    Skip Victor, 1996-99 (72)
    139    Corey Johnson, 2005-07 (77)
10.    138    Jason Jeanpierrie, 2000-03 (109)
    138    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres. (79)

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.    1.75    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.
7.    1.74    Brian Walker, 1994-97

•    Navy has scored on 102 of the 196 possessions (52.0%) in which he has grabbed an offensive rebound.

Scoring Poss. with an Off. Reb. by Donovan Draper
Year    Off. Reb. Poss.     Scoring Poss.    Points
2023-24    90    47    104
2024-25    85    44    96
2025-26    20    11    24
Totals    196    102    221

•    Draper ranks among the Navy leaders for the most career offensive and defensive rebounds and the highest career offensive and defensive rebounding average.

Most Career Offensive Rebounds (since 1986-87)
Rnk.    OR    Player, Years
1.    331    Eddie Reddick, 1988-91

8.    209    Francis Ebong, 2000-03
9.    204    Aidan Kehoe, 2023-pres.
10.    201    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.

Highest Career OR/G Average (since 1986-87)
Rnk.    OR/G    Player, Years    OR / G
1.    2.98    Eddie Reddick, 1988-91    255 / 101
2.    2.55    Aidan Kehoe, 2023-pres.    204 / 80
3.    2.54    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.    201 / 79

Most Career Defensive Rebounds (since 1986-87)
Rnk.    DR    Player, Years
1.    544    Eddie Reddick, 1988-91
2.    450    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.

Highest Career DR/G Average (since 1986-87)
Rnk.    OR/G    Player, Years    DR / G
1.    5.70    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.    450 / 79
2.    4.91    Eddie Reddick, 1988-91    544 / 111

•    He is one of five Mids have posted 500 points and 500 rebounds by the end of their junior season.

Mids with 500 Pts. & 500 Rebs. through Jr. Year
Kevin Sinnett – 1976 to 1978 (3 seasons)
Vernon Butler – 1983 to 1984 (2 seasons)
David Robinson – 1984 to 1986 (3 seasons)
Eddie Reddick – 1988 to 1990 (3 seasons)
Donovan Draper – 2024 to 2025 (2 seasons)

•    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.

Most Career Rebounds (All Games)
Rnk.    Rebs.    Player, Years (games)
1.    1,314    David Robinson, 1984-87 (127)

7.    702    Larry Wigley, 1952-55 (85)
8.    651    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres. (78)

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.    318    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.    688    651

•     Draper is the third Mid to rank among the 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 / 651    T10th / 138
** Steals began being tracked with the 1982-83 season

Kehoe on the Boards
•    Aidan Kehoe set a Navy record in 2024-25 for the most offensive boards by a Mid in a season.

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

•    Kehoe also ranked third at Navy for the most defensive rebounds in a season with his effort last year.

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

•    He ranks among the Navy career leaders in offensive rebounds and offensive rebounding average.

Most Career Offensive Rebounds (since 1986-87)
Rnk.    OR    Player, Years
1.    331    Eddie Reddick, 1988-91
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8.    209    Francis Ebong, 2000-03
9.    204    Aidan Kehoe, 2023-pres.
10.    201    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.

Highest Career OR/G Average (since 1986-87)
Rnk.    OR/G    Player, Years    OR / G
1.    2.98    Eddie Reddick, 1988-91    255 / 101
2.    2.55    Aidan Kehoe, 2023-pres.    204 / 80
3.    2.54    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.    201 / 79
4.    2.53    Hassan Booker, 1995-98    331 / 111

Kehoe Shooting
•    Aidan 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.    .630    Aidan Kehoe, 2023-pres.
2.    .625    Evan Wieck, 2017-20
3.    .613    David Robinson, 1985-88

•    Kehoe ranks among the NCAA leaders for field goal percentage this season.

Highest Field Goal Pct. / 2025-26
Rnk.    FG%.    Player, School
1.    .812    Cooper Bowser, Furman
2.    .722    Caleb Walker, Air Force
3.    .712    Michael Nwoko, LSU
4.    .690    Aidan Kehoe, Navy
5.    .682    Ven-Allen Lubin, North Carolina State

Kehoe's 20-Point Double-Doubles
•    Aidan Kehoe has posted five double-doubles this season, three of which saw him score at least 20 points.
•    Those three double-doubles with at least 20 points ranks third at Navy for the most by a Mid in a season during the post-David Robinson era (who had 16, 20 and 18 such double-doubles in his last three seasons).

Most 20-Point Double-Doubles in a Season
Post-David Robinson Era (1987-88 to present)
Rnk.    No.    Player, Years
1.    4    Hassan Booker, 1997-98
    4    Greg Sprink, 2007-08
3.    3    Eddie Reddick, 1989-90
    3    Eddie Reddick, 1990-91
    3    Aidan Kehoe, 2025-26