Navy Midshipmen Extend Men’s Basketball Winning Streak, Beat Lehigh

The Navy Midshipmen have turned things around in Patriot League player after their latest win over Lehigh.

Dec 15, 2024; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies forward Mylyjael Poteat (34) shoots the ball against Navy Midshipmen center Aidan Kehoe (99) during the first half at Cassell Coliseum. / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

The Navy Midshipmen men’s basketball team won their third straight game as they blew out Lehigh, 79-54, on Wednesday night.

For the Midshipmen (8-14, 5-4 in Patriot) it’s quite the turnaround. After winning their first two league games, they lost four in a row before snapping that streak a week ago against Boston U. Now, with a three-game winning streak they remain no worse than two games back of first place.

Lehigh (7-13, 2-7) lost after winning its previous game.

With the win, Navy’s lead in the series improved to 56-36, with a 37-30 lead as Patriot League members. Navy also improved to 24-15 in Bethlehem and was a bounce-back after losing the last meeting in Bethlehem last year.

The series dates back to 1911 and the two teams met 15 times through the 1933-34 season before a long break until they resumed the series in the early 1980s. Both teams joined the Patriot League in 1991.

The Midshipmen held a 29-22 lead at halftime and then ran away with the game in the second half, outscoring the Mountain Hawks, 50-32.

Navy shot 50% for the game, and that percentage improved in the second half. The Midshipmen also shot 47.1% from the 3-point line and shot 13-of-14 from the free-throw line. Lehigh wasn’t able to keep up, as the Mountain Hawks shot 37.3% from the floor, 50% from the 3-point line and 8-for-14 from the free-throw line.

The Midshipmen were led by guard Austin Benigni, who was a Patriot League honorable mention selection this week. He scored 18 points and dished out six assists. Jordan Pennick had a big game, too, as he scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He also made five 3-pointers.

Carnegie Johnson helped Navy with 13 points, making both of his 3-point attempts. Aidan Kehoe added 10 points to go along with 12 rebounds, joining Pennick in recording a double-double.

Edouard Benoit led Lehigh with 15 points, as he also had two blocked shots. Tyler Whitney-Sidney scored 13 points, along with two assists. Hank Alvey added 12 points, with four rebounds and two blocked shots.

The Midshipmen continue their Patriot League slate on Saturday when they host Bucknell on Saturday at 2 p.m. eastern. The following week, Navy travels to Boston U. and then to Lafayette.