<p>Midshipmen gambling on open style of offense</p>
<p>Published in the Annapolis Capital:</p>
<p>
[quote]
It is nicknamed Vegas and may be unique to college basketball.</p>
<p>Navy's new offense, unveiled this season, combines Princeton-style concepts with some of the ball-screen elements employed by Villanova and incorporates the drive-and-dish type of action favored by head coach Billy Lange....
[/quote]
</p>
<p>For Immediate Release
Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007</p>
<p>Full Day of Navy Basketball in Alumni Hall Saturday</p>
<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Alumni Hall is the place to be Saturday for Navy basketball fans as the venue will play host to a tripleheader of games.</p>
<p>The day begins at 10 a.m. with the annual Navy Men's Basketball Alumni Game, featuring past Navy standouts such as Erik Harris '91, Mike Heary '98, Carl Liebert '87, Kevin Sinnett '79, Skip Victor '99, Brian Walker '97 and Kylor Whitaker '86.</p>
<p>There is no admission charge for the alumni game.</p>
<p>The middle event of the day features the current Navy men's basketball team taking on Lafayette at 1 p.m. The Mids are 0-2 in league play (10-7 on the season) after dropping close decisions to league favorites Bucknell and Lehigh, while the Leopards are 1-1 against Patriot League foes after the first week of conference play.</p>
<p>Capping off the tripleheader is the women's basketball game between the Mids and the Leopards at 3:30 p.m. Both teams enter the game with identical 1-1 records in the Patriot League. Navy posted its first win of the league season Tuesday night against Lehigh, while Lafayette opened conference play this year with a victory over Holy Cross.</p>
<p>Fans are also invited to take advantage of a number of special promotions Saturday. All kids ages 12 and under who wear any type of basketball jersey will be admitted free to the games. Those youths who attended either the Navy boys or girls basketball camp during the 2006 summer will receive a free ticket to the doubleheader, provided they call (410) 293-8785 ahead of time to reserve their tickets. Additionally, members of the Billy the Kid Club will be able to attend Saturday's games for free and also take part in several activities planned during the course of the afternoon. To take advantage of this offer, Billy the Kid Club members must call (410) 293-8787 prior to Saturday to arrange for their tickets.</p>
<p>As a reminder, due to security measures in place at the Naval Academy all fans without a Department of Defense sticker on the vehicle are not be allowed to drive onto The Yard. Fans are instead encouraged to park at nearby Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium ($5 per vehicle) and ride the free shuttle bus to and from Alumni Hall. </p>
<p>There are also a number of ways for fans unable to attend the games can follow all of the action from Alumni Hall.</p>
<p>Live audio and video streaming of all nearly all remaining Navy men's and women's games, both at home and on the road, is being offered as part of the Navy All-Access package found on <a href="http://www.navysports.com%5B/url%5D">www.navysports.com</a> for just $6.95 a month. This is in addition to the current year-round features highlighting the entire Navy athletics program already offered as part of the all-access package. To sign up, simply click on the Navy All-Access button found on the home page of <a href="http://www.navysports.com(%5B/url%5D.)">www.navysports.com(.)</a></p>
<p>For those fans interested in watching the stream of a game involving the remaining seven Patriot League schools, you can sign up to become a member of the Patriot League All-Access feature for $6.95 a month at <a href="http://www.patriotleague.com(%5B/url%5D.)">www.patriotleague.com(.)</a></p>
<p>The radio broadcast of Saturday's men's game can be heard on WNAV-AM 1430 (<a href="http://www.wnav.com)%5B/url%5D">www.wnav.com)</a>, WFED-AM 1040 (<a href="http://www.federalnewsradio.com)%5B/url%5D">www.federalnewsradio.com)</a>, on Sirius channel 159 and through <a href="http://www.yahoosports.com(%5B/url%5D.)">www.yahoosports.com(.)</a> Meanwhile, the Navy-Lafayette women's game will be aired on both WNAV-AM 1430 and <a href="http://www.wnav.com(%5B/url%5D.)">www.wnav.com(.)</a></p>
<p>Finally, live statistics from the Patriot League doubleheader can be viewed free of charge via the Gametracker feature on <a href="http://www.navysports.com(%5B/url%5D.)">www.navysports.com(.)</a></p>
<p>Mids can't answer Mountain Hawks</p>
<p>Published in the Annapolis Capital:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Perhaps one day soon the Navy basketball team will have players confident and capable enough to take charge of a game the way Lehigh's Jose Olivero and Kyle Neptune did last night.</p>
<p>When the close contest was on the line, it was Olivero and Neptune who made big play after big play. Meantime, no one on the Navy side could counter and that is how a one-point difference grew to 10 over the final six minutes of the game....
[/quote]
</p>
<p>As part of the NCAA?s requirements for staging a Final Four, at least one college regular-season game must be played at a facility during the regular season as a test run. The last time the Alamodome hosted a Final Four in 2004, UTSA played Texas A&M during the regular season before the event.</p>
<p>UTSA athletic director Lynn Hickey said the school already has arranged to play a game in November against Navy to fulfill the NCAA?s requirements for staging a college game at the dome.</p>
<p>? Complete game notes, stats, information on the Alumni Game and media links can be found at:
<a href="http://navysports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/011207aab.html%5B/url%5D">http://navysports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/011207aab.html</a></p>
<p>LAFAYETTE (7-10 / 1-1) at NAVY (10-7 / 0-2)
January 13, 2007 ? 1:00 pm (EST)
Alumni Hall (5,710) ? Annapolis, Md.
VIDEO STREAMING: <a href="http://www.navysports.com%5B/url%5D">www.navysports.com</a> (Navy All-Access Users), <a href="http://www.patriotleague.com%5B/url%5D">www.patriotleague.com</a> (Patriot League All-Access Users)
RADIO: WNAV (1430 AM), WFED (1050 AM)
INTERNET: <a href="http://www.wnav.com%5B/url%5D">www.wnav.com</a>, <a href="http://www.federalnewsradio.com%5B/url%5D">www.federalnewsradio.com</a>, <a href="http://www.yahoosports.com%5B/url%5D">www.yahoosports.com</a>
GAMETRACKER: <a href="http://www.navysports.com%5B/url%5D">www.navysports.com</a></p>
<p>SATURDAY'S PROMOTIONS
Camper Reunion Day -- Participants from the 2006 Navy men's basketball camp are invited to attend both games with pre-registration. Call 410-293-8785 to reserve your tickets.
Jersey Day -- All kids (12 and under) wearing any type of basketball jersey will receive free admission to the game.
Billy The Kid Club Day -- Members of Billy the Kid Club are invited to attend the game for free and participte in the fun activities surrounding both games. Call 410-293-8787 to reserve your tickets.</p>
<p>Tipping It Off
Navy will conclude its brief two-game Patriot League homestand with a 1:00 pm tip-off against Lafayette at Alumni Hall on Saturday. Navy enters the game 10-7 overall and 0-2 in the Patriot League after falling to Lehigh, 71-61, on Wednesday night. Lafayette, meanwhile, is 7-10 overall and 1-1 in league play after winning on the road at Colgate, 71-65, on Wednesday. Navy is looking to snap a seven-game losing streak to Patriot League foes and a modest two-game home losing streak. The Mids enter the game having lost four of their last five games.</p>
<p>On This Date in Navy History
January 13th - Navy is 15-10 all-time on January 13, including 2-0 against Lafayette. Navy has won six in a row on the date, dating back to the 1987-88 season. The last time Navy played Lafayette on Jan. 13, was in the 1995-96 season, a 73-64 road win for the Mids. No current Navy player has played on Jan. 13.</p>
<p>Series History
? Navy leads the all-time series, 36-21, including a 28-8 advantage in Annapolis. At Alumni Hall, Navy leads 11-5.
? The two teams have split each of the last four years, with the home team winning each of the last four games.
? Navy's last two wins over Lafayette (both at Alumni Hall) have been the largest by a Billy Lange-coached team over a Patriot League foe. The Mids won 76-57 in the 2004-05 season and 89-69 last year.
? Prior to the current eight-game stretch, Lafayette won four in a row and eight-of-11 in the series.
? The two teams met for the Patriot League Tournament title in both the 1998 and 2000 tournaments, splitting the games.</p>
<p>About Lafayette
Lafayette comes to Annapolis with a 7-11 overall record and a 1-1 mark in the Patriot League. The Leopards have played a competitive schedule, as seven of their 10 losses have come to Indiana, Notre Dame, Saint Joseph's, Miami (Fla.), Temple, San Diego State and Holy Cross. The Leopards won their first league game of the year on Wednesday with an impressive 71-65 road win at Colgate.</p>
<p>Head coach Fran O'Hanlon boasts a balanced attack as 10 players are averaging at least 12 minutes a game, and nine are averaging at least 5.6 ppg. No single player averages more than 27.8 minutes per game (Bilal Abdullah).</p>
<p>Leading the charge is Matt Betley and Abdullah. Betley averages 10.7 ppg and Abdullah is right behind him at 10.6 ppg. Betley also paces the squad with a 4.1 rpg average. Meanwhile, sophomore guard Andrew Brown, a 2006 PL All-Rookie Team selection, averages 7.9 ppg, 3.6 apg and 2.1 rpg in just 26.4 mpg.</p>
<p>As a team, Lafayette ranks tied for first in the league in scoring at 67.4 ppg, but is last in scoring defense at 75.1 ppg. The Leopards are shooting .456 from the field, but foes are shooting almost 50 percent from the field (.491). Lafayette is also getting outrebounded by almost 10.0 rpg, including a minus-11.0 rebound margin in Patriot League play.</p>
<p>Lehigh Leftovers
The Mids nearly overcame a double-digit halftime deficit, but couldn't get over the hump, falling to Lehigh, 71-61, on Wednesday night. The Mids trailed by two, 61-59, with four minutes to play, but the Mountain Hawks closed the game on a 10-2 run to send Navy to its fourth loss in five games.
? The 40 points scored by Navy in the second half were the most since scoring 49 against Washington (Md.) in the first half, a span of five games.
? Navy shot just .304 in the first half, but increased the average to .500 in the second half.
? The Mids have lost two straight home games after starting the year 5-1 in Alumni Hall.
? Navy held its opponent to 50 percent or less from the field for the 14th time in 17 games.
? Lehigh became just the sixth team to shoot over 40 percent from three-point range.
? Navy shot under 50 percent for the 10th straight game. In the first seven games, Navy shot over 50 percent four times.
? Navy connected on 10 three-pointers, the sixth time this year that Navy has hit double-digit treys.</p>
<p>A Tale Of Two Halves
Navy struggled in the first half against Lehigh, but the second half showed what kind of resiliency and offense this team can have when everything is clicking. After scoring 21 points (7-of-23 shooting) with 12 turnovers in the first half, the Mids scored 40 points (13-of-26 shooting) with just four turnovers in the second half. The result was a second-half rally that saw the Mids cut a 15-point deficit to one with six minutes to play, before finally succumbing 71-61.</p>
<p>Navy has definitely been a second-half team this year, outscoring its foes by 41 points in the second 20 minutes, as opposed to just an eight-point advantage in the first 20 minutes. Navy is better statistically in almost every category in the second half.</p>
<p>Defensive Excellence
The Mids have, however, stayed in games mostly due to outstanding defense.
? On Dec. 17 and Dec. 20, Navy allowed 40 (10th fewest in school history) points against Delaware Valley College and 37 (6th fewest in school history) points against Washington (Md.) in back-to-back games. It marked the first time since the 1948-49 season that Navy allowed 40 or fewer points in back-to-back games.
? Over the last 11 games, Navy has allowed just four teams to reach 70 points (Penn - 79, Howard - 75, Yale - 74 and Lehigh - 71). Howard, however, needed two overtimes to reach the 70-point plateau, scoring just 57 points in regulation.
? If looking at just regulation totals, Navy is allowing just 58.1 ppg over the last 11 games.
? Over the last 11 games, foes are shooting 222-of-546 (.407) from the field, and just 57-of-186 (.306) from long distance.
? Over the last 11 games, just one team (Yale - .522) has shot over 50 percent and five of the teams shot .400 or lower.</p>
<p>.400 Is The Magic Number
This year's team is 7-1 when holding foes to shoot .400 or lower from the field. Villanova defeated the Mids on Nov. 25, 70-61. Just three teams, St. John's (.548), Stony Brook (.500) and Yale (.522) have managed to shoot at least .500 from the field.</p>
<p>Three-Point Streak Continues to Climb
Navy enters the Lafayette contest having connected on at least one three-pointer in 111 consecutive games. The last time Navy did not make a trey came in the Jan. 26, 2003, contest against Colgate (0-3). Navy's longest consecutive-games streak with a three-pointer is 134 games (12-23-98 to 1-24-03).</p>
<p>In-Depth Statistics
Navy's dependence on the three-pointer has been quite an obvious observation for the casual Navy basketball fan. Navy currently ranks sixth in the country in "three-point dependence" according to men's basketball stat guru Ken Pomeroy (<a href="http://www.kenpom.com)%5B/url%5D">www.kenpom.com)</a>. Over 40 percent (.422) of Navy's points come from three-point range. Princeton is the leader at .464.</p>
<p>Navy is 333rd in the country in two-point dependence and just three teams, Virginia Military (.389), Brown (.362) and Princeton (.344) rely less on two-pointers than Navy (.391).</p>
<p>Against Division I competition only, 49.9 percent of Navy's field goal attempts have been three-pointers. The total ranks fifth in the country behind Princeton, Virginia Military, Samford and West Virginia.</p>
<p>Lastly, the Mids have played a slowdown type of game this year, ranking 304th in the country in possessions / 40 minutes. Navy averages just 63.3 possessions per game. The result has made Navy 331st in the country in offensive rebound percentage, gaining an offensive rebound just 24.7 percent of the time.</p>
<p>More League Woes
If looking at just the two league games to date, the Mids rank 5th in three-point field goal pct. (.375), 6th in rebounding margin (-2.0), 7th in scoring offense (56.0), 7th in field goal pct. (.413), 8th in free throw pct. (.600) and have yet to block a shot in PL play.</p>
<p>The Alumni Association and Foundation encourages all Navy alumni and fans to catch Navy Basketball in Alumni Hall starting this Saturday, see below for the details and Special Promotions, with the annual men's Alumni Game at 1000 followed by the men and women's double header against Lafayette at 1 pm.</p>
<p>Also catch Navy on the following dates:</p>
<p>Jan 27 Colgate doubleheader 1 pm
*Jan 23 women AT AMERICAN U in WASHINGTON DC 7 pm
*Jan 24 men AT AMERICAN U in WASHINGTON DC 7:30 pm
Jan 30 women Winston-Salem State 7 pm
Feb 3 Bucknell doubleheader 1 pm
Feb 13 women Holy Cross 7 pm
Feb 14 men Holy Cross 7 pm
Feb 17 men ARMY N Star game 1 pm (limited tickets available)
Feb 18 women ARMY N Star game 1 pm
Feb 20 women American 7 pm
Feb 21 men American 7 pm</p>
<p>Alumni Hall policy now allows refreshments to be taken into the main arena, making for enhanced comfort.</p>
<p>Call 1-800-US4-NAVY for tickets.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++</p>
<p>Full Day of Navy Basketball in Alumni Hall Saturday</p>
<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Alumni Hall is the place to be Saturday for Navy basketball fans as the venue will play host to a tripleheader of games.</p>
<p>The day begins at 10 a.m. with the annual Navy Men's Basketball Alumni Game, featuring past Navy standouts such as Erik Harris '91, Mike Heary '98, Carl Liebert '87, Kevin Sinnett '79, Skip Victor '99, Brian Walker '97 and Kylor Whitaker '86.</p>
<p>There is no admission charge for the alumni game.</p>
<p>The middle event of the day features the current Navy men's basketball team taking on Lafayette at 1 p.m. The Mids are 0-2 in league play (10-7 on the season) after dropping close decisions to league favorites Bucknell and Lehigh, while the Leopards are 1-1 against Patriot League foes after the first week of conference play.</p>
<p>Capping off the tripleheader is the women's basketball game between the Mids and the Leopards at 3:30 p.m. Both teams enter the game with identical 1-1 records in the Patriot League. Navy posted its first win of the league season Tuesday night against Lehigh, while Lafayette opened conference play this year with a victory over Holy Cross.</p>
<p>Fans are also invited to take advantage of a number of special promotions Saturday. All kids ages 12 and under who wear any type of basketball jersey will be admitted free to the games. Those youths who attended either the Navy boys or girls basketball camp during the 2006 summer will receive a free ticket to the doubleheader, provided they call (410) 293-8785 ahead of time to reserve their tickets. Additionally, members of the Billy the Kid Club will be able to attend Saturday's games for free and also take part in several activities planned during the course of the afternoon. To take advantage of this offer, Billy the Kid Club members must call (410) 293-8787 prior to Saturday to arrange for their tickets.</p>
<p>As a reminder, due to security measures in place at the Naval Academy all fans without a Department of Defense sticker on the vehicle are not be allowed to drive onto The Yard. Fans are instead encouraged to park at nearby Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium ($5 per vehicle) and ride the free shuttle bus to and from Alumni Hall.</p>
<p>There are also a number of ways for fans unable to attend the games can follow all of the action from Alumni Hall.</p>
<p>Live audio and video streaming of all nearly all remaining Navy men's and women's games, both at home and on the road, is being offered as part of the Navy All-Access package found on <a href="http://www.navysports.com%5B/url%5D">www.navysports.com</a> for just $6.95 a month. This is in addition to the current year-round features highlighting the entire Navy athletics program already offered as part of the all-access package. To sign up, simply click on the Navy All-Access button found on the home page of <a href="http://www.navysports.com(%5B/url%5D.)">www.navysports.com(.)</a></p>
<p>For those fans interested in watching the stream of a game involving the remaining seven Patriot League schools, you can sign up to become a member of the Patriot League All-Access feature for $6.95 a month at <a href="http://www.patriotleague.com(%5B/url%5D.)">www.patriotleague.com(.)</a></p>
<p>The radio broadcast of Saturday's men's game can be heard on WNAV-AM 1430 ( <a href="http://www.wnav.com)%5B/url%5D">www.wnav.com)</a>, WFED-AM 1040 ( <a href="http://www.federalnewsradio.com)%5B/url%5D">www.federalnewsradio.com)</a>, on Sirius channel 159 and through <a href="http://www.yahoosports.com(%5B/url%5D.)">www.yahoosports.com(.)</a> Meanwhile, the Navy-Lafayette women's game will be aired on both WNAV-AM 1430 and <a href="http://www.wnav.com(%5B/url%5D.)">www.wnav.com(.)</a></p>
<p>Finally, live statistics from the Patriot League doubleheader can be viewed free of charge via the Gametracker feature on <a href="http://www.navysports.com(%5B/url%5D.)">www.navysports.com(.)</a></p>
<p>The Navy men's basketball game with Lafayette on Saturday will now be on SIRIUS Radio (Channel 155). Previously, it was announced that it will be on Channel 159. It will now be on Channel 155.</p>
<p>The Mids had best be a bunch of collectively good ballhandlers from the sounds of things. This is nothing new, been around for decades, and goes in and out of favor. No matter what, I trust that if Coach Lange does not spend much time on the art of defense, it'll be a struggle and very unPatriotic. Bobby Knight proved this @ Army many moons ago.</p>
<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy men's basketball team jumped out to a 16-3 lead 10 minutes into the game and cruised past Lafayette, 60-44, to give the Mids their first Patriot League win of the year. The Mids improved to 11-7 overall with the win and 1-2 in league play, while Lafayette dropped to 7-11 and 1-2, respectively. </p>
<p>"We played hard today and brought our focus and intensity right from the start," said Navy head coach Billy Lange. "We had struggled at the start lately, and it was good to get off to a good start." </p>
<p>The story of the game was the Navy defense. The Mids held Lafayette to shoot just 22.7 percent (5-of-22) in the first half and forced 19 Leopards' turnovers. The result, however, was just a 28-16 halftime lead as the Mids shot just 26.9 (7-of-26) percent in the first 20 minutes. The Mids started the game 3-of-6, but finished the half 4-of-20 in the last 17 minutes. Lafayette stayed in the game by grabbing 11 offensive rebounds in the first half. </p>
<p>"Lafayette is a tough team to guard, because they are a deep team and have a lot of guys that can shoot the long ball," said Lange. "We got after them defensively pretty good. We needed to get off to a good start, and we carried that over for the majority of the game." </p>
<p>Navy kept the lead between 11 and 18 for the entire second half, limiting Lafayette's second-chance points. The Leopards grabbed just four offensive rebounds in the second half and shot 36.7 percent in the second half. The Leopards shot just 30.8 percent for the game. </p>
<p>"It feels great to get the first league win in front of our home crowd and alums that were here," said Navy junior guard Greg Sprink, who led Navy with 23 points, eight rebounds and three assists for his 15th career 20-point game. Sprink also moved into 20th place on the school's career scoring list, currently with 923 points. "We had great energy at the start and were really excited to play. We1 played really well defensively." </p>
<p>For the game, Navy committed 15 turnovers and forced 24 Lafayette miscues. Navy shot 34.0 percent from the field and was 20-of-25 from the free throw line, led by Sprink who went 10-of-10 from the stripe. </p>
<p>The win was encouraging for Sprink, who noticed a change in practice following the Lehigh loss. </p>
<p>"It starts with being more responsive to coach and maturing and growing up," said Lange. "We took pride in making it tough on them and we strive to play like that every game. We just need to sustain it now over the rest of the year." </p>
<p>The Mids will need to sustain the intensity and focus if it intends to make a move in the Patriot League. The Mids will play their next three games on the road - Wednesday at league-leader Holy Cross, next Sunday at arch-rival Army and Jan. 27th at American. </p>
<p>"We are playing better now then when we were 7-2," commented Lange. "But we aren't performing individually as well. Some guys are struggling with their shot, but that will come around. But today's performance is something to build on. No win is as important as the next one, so hopefully we can come out on Wednesday with the same energy." </p>
<p>Besides Sprink's 23 points, Adam Teague also contributed 10 points, six rebounds and three steals. Kaleo Kina added eight points, six rebounds and three assists. Matt Betley led Lafayette with 19 points and 12 rebounds. </p>
<p>GAME NOTES
- Navy has now surpassed its win total of the previous two years. The Mids are 11-7 in 2006-07. The 2004-05 and 2005-06 teams won 10 games each. </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Navy has now won all three games at Alumni Hall against Lafayette in the Billy Lange era. The Mids have won by 19, 20 and 16 points, respectively. The three totals are the three largest against a Patriot League opponent under Lange. </p></li>
<li><p>Navy has now held 11-of-18 foes to 65 points or less, including four opponents to 47 points or less. </p></li>
<li><p>The Mids are allowing just 58.0 ppg in Patriot League play. </p></li>
<li><p>Sprink has scored in double figures 48 times in his career and 15 times this year. The Mids are 11-4 when Sprink scores in double figures. </p></li>
<li><p>The 44 points scored by Lafayette are the fewest for a Patriot League foe since Army scored 37 on Feb. 28, 2004. </p></li>
<li><p>Lafayette entered the game as the top-scoring team in the Patriot League at 67.4 ppg, and was shooting 45.6 percent. The Leopards scored just 44 points and shot 30.8 percent. </p></li>
<li><p>Navy avoided an 0-3 start in Patriot League play for the second straight year. </p></li>
<li><p>Navy is now 8-1 when holding foes to shoot 40 percent or lower.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>NAVY 60, LAFAYETTE 44</p>
<p>Published in the Annapolis Capital:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Teauge, Sprink lift Mids</p>
<p>All the talk surrounding the Navy men's basketball team this week has been about the team's inability to win close games....
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Close losses in league play getting old</p>
<p>Published in the Annapolis Capital:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Standing in a hallway outside the home locker room at Alumni Hall, sophomore guard Kaleo Kina expressed the frustration of every member of the Navy basketball team.</p>
<p>"We need to execute better in order to get over the hump. At some point, we have to do what it takes to win these close games," Kina said....
[/quote]
</p>
<p>He scores game-high 23 points for Midshipmen</p>
<p>Published in the BS:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Greg Sprink had a game-high 23 points and eight rebounds to lead Navy to a 60-44 win over Lafayette on Saturday.</p>
<p>The Midshipmen (11-7, 1-2) earned their first Patriot League win of the season....
[/quote]
</p>
<p>NAVY (11-7 / 1-2) at HOLY CROSS (12-6 / 3-0)
January 17, 2007 ? 7:00 pm (EST)
Hart Center (3,600) ? Worcester, Mass.
VIDEO STREAMING: <a href="http://www.navysports.com%5B/url%5D">www.navysports.com</a> (Navy All-Access Users), <a href="http://www.patriotleague.com%5B/url%5D">www.patriotleague.com</a> (Patriot League All-Access Users)
RADIO: WNAV (1430 AM)
INTERNET: <a href="http://www.wnav.com%5B/url%5D">www.wnav.com</a>, <a href="http://www.yahoosports.com%5B/url%5D">www.yahoosports.com</a></p>
<p>Tipping It Off
Navy will kick off a three-game Patriot League roadswing at league leader Holy Cross on Wednesday night, starting at 7:00 pm (EST) from the Hart Center in Worcester, Mass. The Mids enter the contest with an 11-7 overall record (1-2 PL) after Saturday's impressive 60-44 win over Lafayette. The Crusaders are 12-6 overall (3-0 PL) after snapping Bucknell's 23-game league winning streak last Friday night. The game will be broadcast on the airwaves on WNAV (1430 AM) with Bob Socci calling all the action. The game will also be streamed online for All-Access users at <a href="http://www.patriotleague.com%5B/url%5D">www.patriotleague.com</a>.</p>
<p>On This Date in Navy History
January 17th - Navy is 17-10 all-time on January 17, including 2-0 against Holy Cross. Including this year's game, the Mids will have played on January 17th four straight years. Navy won last year on the date, 71-65, over Longwood. Corey Johnson averages 15.0 ppg, while Greg Sprink tallies a 14.5 ppg and 9.5 rpg average on the date.</p>
<p>Series History
? Holy Cross leads the series between the two teams, 27-14, including a 13-5 advantage in Worcester.
? Holy Cross has won 15 meetings in a row against the Midshipmen, dating back to the 2000-01 season. Just four of the games have been decided by single-digits. The average margin of victory for the Crusaders during that span is 15.9 ppg.
? The two teams have combined for 16 Patriot League titles (Navy: 5 reg. season, 3 tournament; Holy Cross: 4 reg. season, 4 tournament). The two teams are the most successful teams in Patriot League history.</p>
<p>About Holy Cross
Holy Cross enters Wednesday's with a 12-6 overall record and a league-leading 3-0 mark in the Patriot League. The Crusaders opened the year with a 6-1 record, but then lost five of their next six games (to the likes of Dayton, Duke and Providence) to fall to 7-6 overall. However, Holy Cross has since won five games in a row, snapping Bucknell's 23-game Patriot League winning streak in the process.</p>
<p>Holy Cross' strength is definitely in its starting lineup. The Crusaders boast three starters in double figures and four of the five average at least 27.5 mpg. Torey Thomas leads the league, averaging an amazing 37.6 mpg, good for 10th in the country in percentage of minutes played.</p>
<p>Leading the charge is senior Keith Simmons. Simmons, the early favorite for the Patriot League MVP award, averages 18.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 2.4 spg, while shooting almost 50 percent from the field. He has led the team in scoring 11 times this year, including six straight games. He is aided by guard Torey Thomas (12.7 ppg, 4.5 apg, 4.4 rpg) and Tim Clifford (10.2 ppg, 4.0 ppg, 1.7 bpg).</p>
<p>As a team, Holy Cross is averaging 63.7 ppg, including 71.7 ppg in its three conference outings. The Crusaders are shooting .435 from the field, .380 from three-point range and .711 from the free throw line. Defensively, Holy Cross is allowing just 58.7 ppg in three league games.</p>
<p>Lafayette Leftovers
Navy jumped out to a 16-3 lead just 10 minutes into the game and Lafayette wasn't able to cut the lead to single digits in the last 30 minutes of the contest as Navy scored a 60-44 decision over the Leopards on Sunday, giving the Mids their first league win of the year.
? Navy has now surpassed its win total of the previous two years. The Mids are 11-7 in 2006-07. The 2004-05 and 2005-06 teams won 10 games each.
? Navy has now won all three games at Alumni Hall against Lafayette in the Billy Lange era. The Mids have won by 19, 20 and 16 points, respectively. The three totals are the three largest against a Patriot League opponent under Lange.
? Navy has now held 11-of-18 foes to 65 points or less, including four opponents to 47 points or less.
? The Mids are allowing just 58.0 ppg in Patriot League play.
? Sprink has scored in double figures 48 times in his career and 15 times this year. The Mids are 11-4 when Sprink scores in double figures this year.
? The 44 points scored by Lafayette are the fewest for a Patriot League foe since Army scored 37 on Feb. 28, 2004.
? Lafayette entered the game as the top-scoring team in the Patriot League at 67.4 ppg, and was shooting 45.6 percent. The Leopards scored just 44 points and shot 30.8 percent.
? Navy avoided an 0-3 start in Patriot League play for the second straight year.
? Navy is now 8-1 when holding foes to shoot 40 percent or lower.</p>
<p>WORCESTER, Mass. -- Keith Simmons poured in 22 points, while Alex Vander Baan added 13 to lead Holy Cross (13-6, 4-0 in the Patriot League) to a 61-42 victory over Navy (11-8, 1-3 in the Patriot League) Wednesday night at the Hart Center.</p>
<p>The win was the 16th-straight by Holy Cross over the Midshipmen and the 42 points are the least amount of points scored by Navy under current head coach Billy Lange and the least since a 66-38 loss to Lehigh in 2004 (82 games).</p>
<p>“The effort was there, but Holy Cross imposed their will in the second half and we didn’t respond with intelligence,” said Navy head basketball coach Billy Lange. “They are easily the best team in the conference and they wore us down in the second half. We didn’t do the things we needed to do to stay in the game.”</p>
<p>Navy hung tough with the Patriot League leaders in the first half, trailing just 20-19 at the intermission, but Holy Cross went on a 15-2 run over the first six minutes of the second half and never looked back.</p>
<p>Adam Teague was the only Mid in double figures, scoring 17 points. Teague made six of his nine field goal attempts. The rest of the team was 9-38 from the floor. Greg Sprink added eight points.</p>
<p>Navy will be back in action Sunday afternoon as they travel to West Point, N.Y. to take on Service Academy rival Army. Tip-off is 12 noon and the game will be televised nationally by ESPNU.</p>
<p>Published in the Lawrence-Journal World:</p>
<p>
[quote]
A year ago I thought I had discovered the anti-Kansas University version of men basketball.</p>
<p>While in New York for my grandson's birthday, I had driven a few miles north to West Point, N.Y., to witness my first Army basketball game. A depressing experience it was, too....</p>
<p>...If you’ve a hankering, you can watch the Cadets play Navy on Sunday on ESPNU.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>NAVY (11-8 / 1-3) at ARMY (12-7 / 2-2)
January 21, 2007 - 12:00 pm (EST)
Christl Arena (5,043) • West Po>nt, N.Y.
TELEVISION: ESPNU (Bob Socci and John Feinstein)
RADIO: WNAV (1430 AM), WFED (1050 AM) (Pete Medhurst)
INTERNET: <a href="http://www.wnav.com%5B/url%5D">www.wnav.com</a>, <a href="http://www.federalnewsradio.com%5B/url%5D">www.federalnewsradio.com</a>, <a href="http://www.yahoosports.com%5B/url%5D">www.yahoosports.com</a></p>
<p>Tipping It Off
The nation's top rivalry takes center stage yet again on Sunday at high noon as Navy will travel to Army for the 105th meeting between the two teams. Navy enters the contest with an 11-8 (1-3) record, while Army is 12-7 (2-2) overall. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU with Bob Socci and John Feinstein calling all the action. Navy fans can listen via the airwaves on WNAV (1430 AM, wnav.com) and WFED (1050 AM, federalnewsradio.com) with Pete Medhurst calling the game. Due to contractual obligations between the Patriot League and ESPNU, the game will not be streamed online.</p>
<p>On This Date in Navy History
January 21th - Navy is 12-7 all-time on January 21, including 1-0 against Army. The Mids defeated the Black Knights, 80-74, during the 1994-95 season. Navy has lost one in a row on the date, falling to Holy Cross, 79-56, in 2005. Corey Johnson scored 13 points in that contest.</p>
<p>Series History
• Army and Navy renew what is argubly the greatest rivalry in all of sports for the 105th time on Sunday in West Point. The rivalry has been played every year since 1933 and at least twice since 1991-92. The rivalry is the third-most frequently played rivalry among all Patriot League schools.
• The two teams have split the series as of late, alternating the last six games between them. However, before the current six-game run, Navy won 36-of-41 contests from 1981 to 2003. Included in the total is four straight N-Star victories and 23-of-26 wins in the Star Game.
• This will mark the first meeting between the two teams when both teams have had a winning record since the 1996-97 season. Navy was 7-6 and Army was 5-4 when the two teams met on Jan. 8, 1997, a 70-56 Midshipmen win.</p>
<p>About Army
Army is one of the nation's surprise teams after league voters picked the Black Knights to finish eighth in the preseason. Army boasts a 12-7 overall record and is 2-2 in league play. The 12 wins already matches the most since the 1984-85 team won 16 games and with a win can move above .500 in league play at this point in the season for the first time since the 2001-02 squad opened 3-2. Army has done this so far with an efficient offense and a stifling defense.</p>
<p>The Black Knights are tops in the league in scoring defense (59.6), scoring margin (+5.0), field goal percentage defense (.395) and three-point percentage (.438) and are second in field goal percentage (.463).</p>
<p>Army is paced by a pair of guards in Jerell Brown and Matt Bell. The duo is averaging a combined 32.4 ppg and is shooting .476 from the field, including a sizzling 88-of-180 (.489) from three-point range. The pair is accounting for just over half of Army's scoring this year and in league play, the percentage bumps up to 55.2 percent (32.7 ppg of Army's 59.2 total ppg). On the interior, freshman Chris Walker, is averaging 7.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg and nine other players average at least 1.9 ppg. Ten different players are averaging at least 10.0 mpg.</p>
<p>Great (Navy) Moments
The Army-Navy rivalry is unquestionably the nation's top rivalry in all sports and the rivalry has provided Navy fans some great moments on the hardwood during the 104-game history.
• Last year, Navy rallied in overtime for a 67-62 victory at raucous Christl Arena on Super Bowl Sunday, behind inspired play by Matt Fannin and Greg Sprink's 23 points. Navy scored the last six points of overtime with Fannin's eight-foot bank shot with 34 seconds left giving Navy the lead for good.
• In 2005, Taj Mathews scored a career-high 26 points to lead Billy Lange to his first Star Game win over Army, 84-69, at Alumni Hall.
• On Feb. 17, 1996, Navy led by 13 with 6:28 to play, before a furious Army rally fell short, 54-51. The Black Knights ended the game on a 14-4 run, but a Hassan Booker free throw salted the game away.
• Lastly, in an 11-game stretch from Feb. 24, 1979 to Feb. 27, 1988, the Mids won all 11 games in the series. However, nine of the 11 games were decided by six or fewer points. During that span from 1984-87, the school's two all-time leading scorers (Navy's David Robinson and Army's Kevin Houston) combined for 192 points in just five games. Robinson scored 100 points with 50 rebounds and 20 blocks, while Houston scored 92 points with 19 assists. During Navy's five wins from 1984-87, Navy won by two, one, 30, three (ot) and six points.</p>
<p>Holy Cross Leftovers
Navy struggled to find the range in the second half against the league-leading Crusaders, dropping a 61-42 decision on Wednesday night. Navy trailed by one at halftime, but Holy Cross shot 66.7 percent after halftime to put the game away.
• Navy has now scored under 55 points in four of its last seven games, including under 45 in two of them.
• Navy's defense, meanwhile, has held four of its last five opponents to 61 points or less.
• The Mids haven't shot above 45 percent in seven straight games.
• Navy shot 10 or fewer free throws for the sixth time this year, converting just 5-of-8 free throw attempts against the Cruaders.
• Navy has now shot under 30 percent in a half in four of the last seven games, and hasn't shot over 50 percent in a half since the first half against Washington (Md.), when it shot .548 (17-of-31).
• Navy equaled a season low with just 11 turnovers, matching the totals against St. John's and Villanova.
• Navy started three freshmen in a game for the first time since Jan. 3, 2006, against UMBC. Navy has now started three freshmen in a game 15 times under Billy Lange.
• Navy's bench scored 24 points, compared to 18 for the starters. Adam Teague was 6-of-9, the rest of the team shot 9-of-38 (.237).</p>
<p>Defensive Comparison
Navy's defense has been outstanding all year long, and it has shown in Patriot League play. The Mids are allowing just 58.8 ppg (4th in the league) in their four conference games. So far, Navy has allowed just one team (Lehigh - 71) to score more than 61 points in a game. The 58.8 ppg average would rank as the second-lowest average in Navy's 15-year Patriot League history (1999 - 57.0 ppg).
• The total is easily the top mark in Billy Lange's three years at Navy. The 2004-05 team allowed 76.8 ppg through four games, while last year's team gave up 74.8 ppg through four games. Navy's 235 points (58.8 ppg) in the first four games of Patriot League play is the fewest since the 1997-98 team allowed just 232 points (58.0 ppg) in its first four league games.
• On Dec. 17 and Dec. 20, Navy allowed 40 (10th fewest in school history) points against Delaware Valley College and 37 (6th fewest in school history) points against Washington (Md.) in back-to-back games. It marked the first time since the 1948-49 season that Navy allowed 40 or fewer points in back-to-back games.
• Over the last 13 games, Navy has allowed just four teams to reach 70 points (Penn - 79, Howard - 75, Yale - 74 and Lehigh - 71). Howard, however, needed two overtimes to reach the 70-point plateau, scoring just 57 points in regulation.
• If looking at just regulation totals, Navy is allowing just 57.2 ppg over the last 13 games.
• Over the last 13 games, foes are shooting 259-of-644 (.402) from the field, and just 69-of-230 (.300) from long distance.
• Over the last 13 games, just one team (Yale - .522) has shot over 50 percent and six of the teams shot .400 or lower.</p>
<p>.400 Is The Magic Number
This year's team is 8-1 when holding foes to shoot .400 or lower from the field. Villanova defeated the Mids on Nov. 25, 70-61. Just three teams, St. John's (.548), Stony Brook (.500) and Yale (.522) have managed to shoot at least .500 from the field.</p>
<p>Navy's Top D
Navy has held opponents to 60 points or less eight times this year in 19 games. Prior to this year, the Mids had accomplished that feat just three times before this year. Navy is 10-1 under Billy Lange when holding foes to 60 or fewer points.</p>
<p>Published in today's Middletown Times-Herald Record:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Matt Bell says he enjoys playing in Army-Navy games because there's more excitement than the average college basketball contest and there's more bounce in every player's step.</p>
<p>"It's just a different feel to Army-Navy because they are, by far, our biggest rival," said Bell, an Army senior who has played and split six series games. "It's always a fun atmosphere to play in."...
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Published in today's Middletown Times Herald-Record:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Army men's basketball is headed into unchartered waters and enjoying the ride.</p>
<p>When Greg Sprink's 3-point attempt at the buzzer bounded away yesterday, Army celebrated a hard-fought 53-50 victory over Navy and a spot in the upper echelon of the Patriot League....
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Published in the Annapolis Capital:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Both the Army and Navy basketball programs are much improved this season and fans that are able to tune into ESPNU today to check out the service academy rivalry should see that.</p>
<p>However, within the Patriot League, there seems to be a belief that Army has taken a giant leap forward while Navy has simply taken significant steps....
[/quote]
</p>
<p>For: Immediate Release
Sent: January 21, 2007
Contact: Scott Strasemeier (410) 293-8775</p>
<p>WEST POINT, N.Y -- Army senior guard Matt Bell scored 16 points, including 10 in the second half, to lead the Black Knights (13-7, 3-2 in the Patriot League) to a 53-50 victory over Navy (11-9, 1-4 in the Patriot League) in front of 3,904 fans at Christl Arena. Junior guard Greg Sprink led the Mids with 19 points, while freshman T.J. Topercer scored 11.</p>
<p>Navy shot just 29% (16-56) from the floor, including a miserable 7-31 (23%) in the second half. The Mids consistently got good looks at the basket, but couldn't knock them down.</p>
<p>"I thought we played very well today except we couldn't make shots," said Navy head coach Billy Lange. "We took good shots and we had the right guys shooting, we just didn't knock them down."</p>
<p>"It was a typical Army-Navy game," said Army head coach Jim Crews. "Both teams played really well defensively and we were fortunate to win the game. I am really pleased for our older guys, because they have invested a lot into this program over the last four years and they are finally seeing the effort pay off in wins. I'm a firm believer that if you keep doing things the right way that eventually good things will happen."</p>
<p>Navy trailed by two points at the half (25-23), but quickly fell behind by as many as 10 points as the Black Knight started the second half on a 12-4 run. Bell scored eight of Army's 12 points during the six-minute span.</p>
<p>The Mids, however, refused to fold and battled back to take a one point lead with an 11-2 run of their own. </p>
<p>Freshman forward T.J. Topercer started the rally with a three-point field goal and then, after two free throws by Chris Harris, Adam Teague and Sprink hit back-to-back three-pointers with the latter giving Navy a 42-41 lead with 5:08 remaining in the contest.</p>
<p>"There was never any doubt in my mind that we could come back and we did," said Lange. "It's hard to come back like that when you shoot 22% in the second half, but we did."</p>
<p>After a Jarrell Brown lay-up gave Army the lead back, Sprink answered with an old-fashioned three-point play scoring in the paint off a beautiful assist from Kaleo Kina and was fouled by Corban Bates. Sprink's free throw gave Navy a 43-41 lead with 5:08 remaining.</p>
<p>The Mids forced a miss on Army's next possession, but Bates, who killed Navy last year with a combined 31 points and 22 rebounds in the two games, took advantage of a missed block out and scored on the put-back and was fouled by Kina. Bates' free throw gave Army the lead for good at 44-43.</p>
<p>On Army's next possession Bates grabbed another offensive rebound and then hit a long three-point field goal from the left corner to give the Black Knights a four point advantage at 47-43 with 4:09 left in the contest.</p>
<p>The Midshipmen would cut Army's advantage to two points on three different occasions but could never tie or take the lead again.</p>
<p>Sprink hit two free throws with 3:57 left to make the score 47-45, Trey Stanton hit two free throws with 1:43 left that sliced Army's lead to 49-47 and a Sprink three-pointer with six seconds left cut the Army lead to two at 52-50. Sprink's three-pointer was Navy's only field goal in the final 5:02 of the contest.</p>
<p>After a Navy timeout, the Mids fouled Bell with 4.5 seconds left. Bell, an 86% free throw shooter, missed the first and made the second to give Army a three point lead. </p>
<p>The Mids got the ball to Sprink, who dribbled the length of the court and got a great look at a three-point field goal that would have tied a game but the 25-foot shot rimmed out.</p>
<p>"It felt good when it left my hand, I thought it was going in," said Sprink.</p>
<p>This is the fourth-straight year that Army has won the first of two games the teams play each year with Navy coming back to win the N-Star game in each of the previous three years.</p>
<p>"We are a much better team now than we have been the previous three years," said Army's Bell. "I think we have a legitimate shot this year of going down to their place and beating them."</p>