Austin Benigni scores 20 points as Navy men’s basketball beats Holy Cross, 76-66, on senior day
Navy men’s basketball still has hope of avoiding a first-round game in the Patriot League Tournament.
Thanks to an uplifting victory on senior day that capped a 2-0 week, the Midshipmen made a major move in the standings.
Sophomore point guard Austin Benigni scored 20 points to lead a balanced attack and Navy led for the final 33 minutes in beating Holy Cross, 76-66, before a crowd of 2,537 at Alumni Hall.
Junior guard Mac MacDonald scored all 12 of his points in the first half for Navy (10-17, 6-10), which moved into a three-way tie with Army and Holy Cross for seventh place in the Patriot League. The Midshipmen would win the tiebreaker with the Crusaders by sweeping the regular-season series.
An eight-game losing streak from Jan. 24 through Feb. 17 had dropped Navy into last place in the conference.
For now, Navy is still among the four lowest seeds that will play in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament on March 5. It will host Lafayette on Wednesday and close the regular season at American on Saturday.
“That was the talk we had with the team the other day. This was the biggest week of the season. We’ve got three games and we control our destiny; we control where we finish,” coach Ed DeChellis said. “We talk about playing better at the end of February going into March. We’re finally playing a little better and with some confidence.”
During a pregame ceremony, Navy honored its two seniors — combination guard Austin Inge and forward Tony Atkinson. Inge was inserted into the starting lineup after coming off the bench the previous two games. Atkinson has not played since the second game of the season and is currently sidelined with a concussion.
Inge scored 10 points and hit one of the biggest shots of the game. A three-point play by Joe Octave cut the deficit to six points with four minutes remaining, which was the closest Holy Cross had been since the 17:09 mark of the second half.
On the ensuing possession, Inge banked in a 3-pointer from the elbow and Navy’s lead never dipped below seven points the rest of the way. The Greensboro, North Carolina, native, who had a huge contingent of family in attendance, called the bank shot “a little senior day magic.”
“I’m just glad I made the shot to extend the lead then we were able to get a stop and were able to pull out the win. We found a way to win,” Inge said. “It feels good to win in general. That’s what you work hard for, so it’s good to see we got the fruits of our labor. We’ve been able to put two wins together and try to get on a roll.”
Inge has been around long enough to know the importance of getting a first-round bye and moving straight into the quarterfinal round.
“That’s big because you know how athletes’ legs get around this time of the season. It would give an extra day of rest and time to prepare for whoever our opponent is,” he said.
Sophomore center Aidan Kehoe became the eighth Navy player to make his first career start this season and responded with seven points and six rebounds. Junior forward Mitch Fischer came off the bench for the first time in a while and contributed nine points and four rebounds.
Junior guard Lysander Rehnstrom scored all nine of his points from beyond the arc for Navy, which took the lead for good at the 12:59 mark of the first half.
“It was a great win. I thought our kids made plays and did some good things down the stretch. I thought our guys gave a good effort,” DeChellis said. “We controlled the game and had the lead for almost 33 minutes. I think we’re playing a little better, so I’m happy for our guys. It hasn’t been easy, but they’ve kept fighting.”
Navy outrebounded Holy Cross, 45-36, and finished with a better assist-to-turnover ratio. The Mids had 14 assists with nine turnovers, while the Crusaders totaled nine assists and 10 turnovers.
Navy also posted its best 3-point shooting percentage (56.3%) of the season. DeChellis said the game plan was to limit the number of 3s made by Holy Cross, which went 6-for-18 from beyond the arc. Navy finished 9-for-16.
“All the numbers allowed us to win,” DeChellis said.
Meanwhile, Holy Cross coach Dave Paulsen said the three keys to the game were transition defense, keeping Benigni away from the foul line and preventing Navy from controlling the backboards. Benigni drew eight fouls and made 7 of 8 free throws, while the Mids scored 19 second-chance points with Kehoe providing five offensive rebounds.
“We were 0-for-3,” Paulsen said. “You’ve got to give credit to Navy. They were the tougher team today, plain and simple.”
McDonald came off the bench to score 12 points on the strength of three 3-pointers to help Navy take a 37-28 halftime lead. Benigni, who did not start for the first time this season, had seven points despite shooting just 1-for-7 from the field. The Mids were aggressive going to the basket and wound up making 10 of 14 free throws as a result.
Mitch Fischer made a driving layup to spark a 9-0 run that turned an 11-9 deficit into an 18-11 lead. The Mids led by as much as 11 points in the first half.
Lafayette at Navy
Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: 1430 AM