Lehigh (12-15 / 8-6) at Navy (21-6 / 13-1)
Wednesday, Feb. 18  I  7 p.m.  I  Alumni Hall  I  Annapolis, Md.

Video / ESPN+  I  Matt Sabados, Mike Heary
Radio / WNAV, WFED  I  Matt Sabados, Mike Heary

Five Starting Notes
•    The last two Navy-Lehigh games played in Annapolis have been decided by a total of five points and the last four by a total of 18 points.
•    All 14 of Lehigh's Patriot League games this season have been decided by single digits. 
•    Lehigh has played five overtime games since the start of the Patriot League season and Navy two. 
•    Lehigh's Nasir Whitlock (20.2 ppg) leads the Patriot League in scoring and Navy's Austin Benigni (17.5 ppg) ranks second. 
•    Benigni scored 34 points and Whitlock 31 in the 82-79 double overtime win by the Mids over the Mountain Hawks on Jan. 17. 

Game Information
•    Navy is back in Alumni Hall for the only time in a five-game span Wednesday night when the Mids play host to Lehigh at 7 p.m.
•    The game will be streamed on ESPN+ while both WNAV and WFED will provide audio coverage.

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 take the free shuttle bus, which starts running one hour before tip.
•    The shuttle bus will depart from and return to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (550 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, Md., 21401).  Enter the blue / west parking lot through gate 5 off of Taylor Avenue.  There is a $10 per vehicle parking fee.  The free fan shuttle bus will leave from and return to the Blue Angel jet.  
•    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 with REAL ID or a U.S. government issued passport). Visitors ages 17 and younger who do not have a valid picture ID must be accompanied by an adult. Foreign passports are not permitted for general access.

A Look Back
•    Navy stopped several streaks with an 84-80 overtime victory at Colgate Saturday.
•    The Mids raced out to a 36-18 first-half lead only to see the Raiders take a 56-55 lead midway through the second half.
•    That was the first of 10 second half lead changes.
•    Navy regained a 77-73 lead with 51.7 seconds left, but was held scoreless the rest of the way and Colgate tied the game and forced overtime.
•    The teams were a combined 1-10 from the floor in overtime, with Navy being 5-6 from the foul line and Colgate 3-6.  Four of those free throws came from Austin Benigni in the last 7 seconds.
•    Navy had lost 13 games in a row to Colgate and had not won a game against the Raiders in Hamilton in a decade.
•    Five Mids scored in double figures with Jordan Pennick leading the way with 22 points and Donovan Draper scoring 20.  Colgate's Jalen Cox led all players with 30 points, 22 of which came in the second half.

Lehigh Preview
•    Lehigh has won back-to-back games to raise its overall record to 12-15 and its Patriot League mark to 8-6.
•    The Mountain Hawks have tallied a 3-10 record in true road games this year, which includes a 3-4 record in league road games.
•    All 14 of Lehigh's league games have been determined by single digits.   The Mountain Hawks have played five overtime games during the league campaign, two of which were double overtime games.
•    Lehigh's eight wins have come by a total of 41 points (5.1 ppg) and its six losses have been by a total of 34 points (5.7 ppg).  Overall, Lehigh is averaging 76.5 points per game and giving up 76.0 points per game.

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 58-36 lead in the series, which includes a 31-19 advantage in games played in Annapolis.  The teams have split the 34 prior games that have been played in Alumni Hall.
•    The Mids also lead 39-30 in Patriot League regular season games played in the series.  The teams are tied at 17-17 in league games played on The Yard.
•    The last two games in the series to be played in Annapolis have been decided by a total of five points (two Navy wins).  The last four games to be played in Alumni Hall have been decided by single digits and a total of 18 points (teams have split those games).
 
Series Trends
•    The team making more three-point field goals has won 10-straight games over the last 14 games (the three-point field goal total has been tied four times).
•    The team leading at halftime has posted a 13-4 record over the last 20 games (the halftime score has been tied three times).
•    The team grabbing more rebounds has posted a 15-4 record over the last 19 games.

Navy 82, Lehigh 79 (2OT)
•    Navy battled back from an eight-point second-half deficit and a five-point deficit in the first overtime period to win an 82-79 double overtime game at Lehigh Jan. 17 in Bethlehem, Pa.
•    The Mids held several six-point leads in the first half before the Mountain Hawks closed the frame with a triple and then started the second half on a 16-7 run to turn a 27-23 deficit into a 42-34 lead.  
•    It soon was a 46-40 Lehigh lead when the Mids took a 51-48 advantage.  The teams would end 40 minutes of play knotted at 59.
•    The Mountain Hawks quickly built a 65-60 lead midway through the first overtime period.  The Mids closed the frame on a 7-2 run and a pair of free throws by Austin Benigni with 31 seconds left forced a second period.
•    There were three lead changes and four ties in the second extra stanza, and the game was not decided until Donovan Draper made a pair of foul shots with 1.9 seconds remaining and the Mids knocked away an ensuing long inbounds pass.
•    Both teams were 30-69 from the floor.
•    Lehigh's Nasir Whitlock scored 31 points, but Benigni scored 34 and Aidan Kehoe tallied 21 points, 21 rebounds and 4 assists.

A Look Ahead
•    Navy travels to West Point, N.Y., for the annual Star Game against Army.  The 1:30 p.m. game will be aired on the CBS Sports Network.

Mids Have a Share of PL Title
•    Navy has earned at least a share of the 2025-26 Patriot League regular season title.  One more win by the Mids (Lehigh, at Army, at Loyola, Colgate) or one more loss by Colgate (Loyola, Lafayette, at Navy) and they will earn the title outright.
•    This is the sixth time in which Navy has earned at least a share of the Patriot League title (last was in 1990-00) and the ninth time in which the Mids have at least shared a conference crown.
•    Navy has won outright titles in 1985-86, 1986-87 and 1996-97.

Navy's Regular Season Titles
1984-85    ECAC South    11-3    Tied 1st
1985-86    CAA    13-1    1st
1986-87    CAA    13-1    1st
1993-94    Patriot League    9-5    Tied 1st
1995-96    Patriot League    9-3    Tied 1st
1996-97    Patriot League    10-2    1st
1997-98    Patriot League    10-2    Tied 1st
1999-00    Patriot League    11-1    Tied 1st
2025-26    Patriot League    13-1    at least a share

Atop the Standings 
•     The Navy men's and women's basketball teams are each in first place in the Patriot League.  Navy is one of nine schools to have both men's and women's teams have at least a share of first place.

Men's and Women's Teams in First Place
Atlantic Coast Conference - Duke 
Big East Conference - Connecticut 
Big South Conference - High Point 
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference - Howard 
Mountain West Conference - San Diego State 
Patriot League - Navy
Summit League - North Dakota State 
West Coast Conference - Gonzaga
Western Athletic Conference - Cal Baptist  

Navy Leading in Assist Percentage
•    Navy has been credited with 242 assists on its 380 made field goals during the Patriot League season.  That's an assist percentage of 63.7 percent, which leads the league and is one of the best in Navy history.

11th 20-Win Season
•    Navy's Feb. 9 win at Bucknell was the team's 20th of the season.  It is the 11th 20-win campaign in program history.

Navy Sets School Mark for Most PL Wins
•    With 13 wins, Navy has set the school record for the most Patriot League regular season wins since the league went to an 18-game season starting with the 2013-14 season (not including 2020-21).
•    The 2021-22 Navy team won 12 games.

Navy Second in PL Wins Over Half Decade
•    Navy ranks second in the Patriot League for league wins over the last five seasons.
•    Colgate leads the league with a 69-18 record and Navy is second at 54-32.

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 298-190 record in the facility.  This includes a 145-112 record in Patriot League regular season games.
•    There have been 61 future NBA players to play in Alumni Hall since it opened.

Rare 2 OT Game
•    Navy won an 82-79 double overtime victory at Lehigh on Jan. 17.
•    The game was Navy's first double overtime game since the Mids played Army on Feb. 20, 2016.
•    It was Navy's 22nd multi-overtime game in program history and the sixth in a league regular season game.

Mids Well Ahead in Points in the Paint
•    Navy has scored more points in the paint in 12 of its 14 Patriot League games this season.  The Mids are averaging 10 more paint points a game than their foes.

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 +1,088 in offensive rebounding margin over the last 12 seasons.
•    Navy has regularly turned those second-chance opportunities into points.  The Mids are +1,022 in second-chance points over the last 12 years.
•    Aidan Kehoe had 15 second-chance points in Navy's double overtime win at Lehigh on Jan. 17 and 12 in Navy's Feb. 9 game at Bucknell.
•    Navy has scored on 32 of the 45 (71.1%) possessions in which Kehoe has grabbed at least one offensive board since the start of the Patriot League season.  The Mids have scored 64 points off of his offensive rebounds in league play.

 Benigni and Kehoe Play Many Minutes at Lehigh
•    Austin Benigni never left the court and Aidan Kehoe played all but 59 seconds of Navy's double overtime win at Lehigh on Jan. 17.
•    Benigni is the first Mid to play at least 50 minutes in a game since Chris Harris played all 55 minutes of a triple overtime game at William & Mary in 2008-09.
•    He is tied for ninth in the NCAA for the most minutes played in a game this season.

Most Minutes Played -- All Games (•=OT periods)
1.    55    Chris Reddington vs. Ore. State, 12-9-1965•••
    55    Chris Harris at William & Mary, 11-22-2008•••
3.    52    Chris Harris, Bucknell, 3-5-2008•••
4.    51    James Snook vs. Oregon State, 12-9-1965•••
5.    50    Charles Provini at New York U., 2-1-1969••
    50    Warren McCarty, Georgetown, 12-16-1970••
    50    Jack Conrad, Georgetown, 12-16-1970••
    50    Austin Benigni at Lehigh, 1-17-2026••
9.    49    Thomas Martin vs. Oregon State, 12-9-1965•••
    49    Kevin Sinnett at Air Force, 1-8-1977•••
    49    David Robinson at Lafayette, 1-16-1985••
    49    Kaleo Kina, Bucknell, 3-5-2008•••
    49    Aidan Kehoe at Lehigh, 1-17-2026••

•    Both of those totals well surpassed the previous record for the most minutes played by a Mid in a league game.

Most Minutes Played -- Patriot League Games
1.    50    Austin Benigni at Lehigh, 1-17-2026••
2.    49    Aidan Kehoe at Lehigh, 1-17-2026••
3.    46    Jordan Sugars, American, 2-24-2010••
4.    45    Greg Sprink, Lafayette, 1-19-2008•

Benigni Surpasses 1,700 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, surpassed 1,600 points Jan 10 against Lafayette and scored his 1,700th point Jan. 24 against Army
•    Benigni ranks among the Navy scoring leaders for both all games and Patriot League games.
•    He also stands in 16th place in Patriot League history in career points.

Navy Career Scoring List -- All Games
Rnk.    Pts.    Player, Years
1.    2,669    David Robinson, 1984-87
2.    1,952    Vernon Butler, 1983-86
3.    1,785    Greg Sprink, 2005-08
4.    1,784    Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.

Navy Career Scoring List -- Patriot League Games
Rnk.    Pts.    Player, Years
1.    990    Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.
2.    937    Greg Sprink, 2005-08

30-Point Games
•    Austin Benigni tied a career high with 34 points in Navy's double overtime win at Lehigh on Jan. 17.
•    He scored 13 second-half points and accounted for 13 of Navy's 23 points during the overtime periods.
•    It was his fourth career game with at least 30 points.

Benigni's 30-Point Games (chronological order)
32    Lehigh, Jan. 17, 2024
34    Harvard, Nov. 8, 2024
30    at Boston U., March 6, 2025
34    at Lehigh, Jan. 17, 2026 (2ot)

•    Benigni is the eighth Mid to have at least four career games with 30 points, and is one of only four Mids to have had a 30-point game in three different seasons.

Mids with a 30-Point Game in Three Different Seasons
John Clune (1951-52 / 1952-53 / 1953-54)
Don Lange (1951-52 / 1952-53 / 1953-54)
David Robinson (1984-85 / 1985-86 / 1986-87)
Austin Benigni (2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26)

3-Point Progression
•    One of the reasons behind Benigni's scoring success this season has been his improved three-point shooting.
•    He has made more three-point baskets this games than he made in 34 games last season.

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.

Benigni Leading in Points and Assists
•     Austin Benigni typically has led the Mids in either points (55) or assists (68) –– and occasionally both (39) –– in a game, especially since the start of his 2023-24 season.
•     Benigni has totaled both 10 or more points and 5 or more assists in 34 career games.
•     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.
•    He leads the team in both statistics this year.
•     Benigni is one of eight active players who have only played on the NCAA Division I level with both 1,700 points and 400 assists.
•     He is the third Patriot League player -- during each team's Patriot League era -- with 1,700 points and 400 assists. 

Kehoe's Shooting Among the NCAA Leaders
•    Aidan Kehoe ranks first among all NCAA Division I players in field goal percentage this season.

Highest Field Goal Pct. / 2025-26
Rnk.    FG%.    Player, School (FGM-A)
1.    .741    Aidan Kehoe, Navy (180-243)
4.    .684    Ven-Allen Lubin, NC State (141-206)
3.    .680    Ben Defty, Boston U. (151-222)

•    Kehoe ranked second at Navy for the highest field goal percentage in a single season in 2024-25, and he has thus far bettered that in 2025-26.
•     Kehoe currently holds the top mark for the highest field goal percentage in a season by a Patriot League player.

Highest Field Goal Pct. / Season 
Rnk.    FG%.    Player, Years
--    .741    Aidan Kehoe, Navy, 2026
--    .680    Ben Defty, Boston U., 2026
1.    .680    A.J. Allenspach, Army, 2025
2.    .675    Keegan Records, Colgate, 2023

Kehoe and Draper -- Double-Doubles
•    Aidan Kehoe and Donovan Draper 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
-------------------------------------------------
5.    24    Eddie Reddick, 1988-91
6.    23    Hank Kuzma, 1975-78
7.    22    Chris Reddington, 1964-66
    22    Aidan Kehoe, 2023-pres.
9.    21    Hassan Booker, 1995-98
10.    19    Jay Metzler, 1958-60
11.    16    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.

Kehoe's 21-21 Double-Double
•    Aidan Kehoe recorded 21 points and 21 rebounds in Navy's double overtime win at Lehigh on Jan. 17.
•    Kehoe is the fifth Mid to have recorded a 20-20 game and the first since David Robinson went for 45 and 20 at James Madison on Jan. 10, 1987.
•    Kehoe broke his own Navy record for the most rebounds by a Mid in a Patriot League game and tied the school record (since 1986-87) for the most offensive rebounds in a game in a two OT game at Lehigh.

Most Rebounds -- Patriot League Games
1.    21    Aidan Kehoe at Lehigh, 1-17-2026 (2ot)
2.    20    Aidan Kehoe at Army, 1-26-2025
3.    19    Matt Fannin, American, 1-12-2005

Most Offensive Rebounds -- All Games (since 1986-87)
1.    11    Tom Lacey, Bryant, 12-6-2016
    11    Aidan Kehoe at Lehigh, 1-17-2026 (2ot)
2.    10    Alex Kohnen, St. Mary's, Md., 12-5-1995
    10    Tom Lacey at American, 1-25-2017

Draper's Steals
•    Donovan Draper ranks among the Navy career leaders in steals (161, fifth) and steals per game (1.79, T-fourth).
•    Draper is the third Mid to rank among Navy's top-10 players in both career rebounds and steals.

More Minutes for Cole
•    Cam Cole has moved into a more prominent role in the rotation since the start of the Patriot League season.
•    He has surpassed all of the career totals he had recorded through the start of this season.