PatriotMBB Notebook (.PDF)

THIS WEEK IN PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S BASKETBALL (AND WHERE TO WATCH)
The final week of the Patriot League regular season begins on Tuesday when Army West Point travels to Lafayette for a 7 p.m. meeting on ESPN+. Wednesday featured four more League games on ESPN+, beginning with the 6 p.m. meeting between Boston University and Lehigh. American hosts Navy, Bucknell travels to Loyola Maryland, and Colgate welcomes Holy Cross, all beginning at 7 p.m. For more information on Patriot League men’s basketball dates, times and coverage, visit the men’s basketball composite schedule on the League’s official website - www.PatriotLeague.org.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL LEADERS THROUGH FEB. 24
Navy Jr. G Austin Benigni (18.3 ppg) leads the Patriot League in scoring, with Army Sr. G Jalen Rucker (17.7 ppg) second and Bucknell Jr. C Noah Williamson (17.2 ppg) third. Navy Jr. C Aidan Kehoe (9.5 rpg) leads the League in rebounding, with his teammate Donovan Draper (7.7 rpg) and Bucknell’s Williamson (7.6 rpg) ranking second and third, respectively. Bucknell Sr. G Josh Bascoe (4.4 apg) leads the League in assists, with Navy’s Benigni (4.2 apg) second and Colgate So. G Jalen Cox (3.9 apg) placing third. Lafayette Sr. C Justin Vander Baan (2.8 bpg) leads the League and ranks third in NCAA DI in blocks. Loyola So. G Jacob Theodosiou (1.7 spg) and American Sr. G Elijah Stephens (1.6 apg) top the League leaderboard in steals.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS THROUGH FEB. 24
Army West Point is the Patriot League leader in scoring offense (74.3 ppg). Boston University boasts the League’s best scoring defense (68.0 ppg). Colgate is first in team field-goal percentage (.466), and Holy Cross leads the League in 3-point field-goal percentage (.380). Navy is at the top of the League in team rebounding (36.3 rpg) and team offensive rebounds (11.4). Boston U. leads the League in rebounding margin (+5.4).
 
2024-25 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Standings (as of February 24)

School	PL	PL Pct.	Overall	Overall Pct.
American*	12-4	.750	18-11	.621
Bucknell*	11-5	.688	15-14	.517
Army West Point	10-6	.625	16-12	.571
Colgate	9-7	.562	12-17	.414
Navy	8-8	.500	11-18	.379
Boston University	8-8	.500	14-15	.483
Loyola Maryland	6-10	.375	11-16	.407
Lafayette	6-10	.375	11-18	.379
Lehigh	5-11	.312	10-17	.370
Holy Cross	5-11	.312	13-16	.448

ONLINE SCHEDULE | ONLINE STATS
*- denotes clinched a quarterfinal home game
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE 1,000-POINT CLUB
Holy Cross Sr. F Caleb Kenney is the most recent addition to the League’s 1,000-point club, reaching the milestone on Feb. 12. Three more League players have eclipsed 1,000 points this season, including Colgate’s Jeff Woodward (Jan. 20), Navy’s Austin Benigni (Jan. 18) and American’s Elijah Stephens (Jan. 13). Army’s Jalen Rucker and American’s Matt Rogers are tied for the League’s active leading scorer with 1,767 points. Lehigh’s backcourt also features two 1,000-point scorers, Tyler Whitney-Sidney (1,419) and Keith Higgins Jr. (1,223).
PL Active 1,000-Point Scorers
14. Jalen Rucker, Army, 1,767
14. Matt Rogers, American, 1,767
61. Tyler Whitney-Sidney, Lehigh, 1,419
103. Keith Higgins Jr., Lehigh, 1,223
106. Austin Benigni, Navy, 1,204
123. Jeff Woodward, Colgate, 1,152
128. Elijah Stephens, American, 1,139
151. Caleb Kenney, Holy Cross, 1,037
 
BAKER AND BENIGNI MAKE LEADERS LISTS
•Colgate Sr. G Chandler Baker is eighth on the Patriot League career 3-point field-goal percentage list, shooting at a .416 clip (117-for-281) during his career at Colgate, ranking 21st among NCAA DI active leaders.
•Navy’s Benigni has climbed to No. 3 on the League’s career free-throw percentage leaders list, making 85.2 percent (390-for-458) of his attempts
 
RUCKER AMONG ACTIVE SCORING LEADERS
Army Sr. G Jalen Rucker is the Patriot League’s career scoring leader and ranks 28th among active NCAA DI players, averaging 15.6 points per game through 113 career contests at West Point. The Baltimore, Md. native is averaging 17.7 points per game this season, including matching the League’s single-game high with 34 points in the Black Knights’ three-OT win against Le Moyne.
 
NAVY’S DRAPER CLEANING THE GLASS
Navy Jr. F Donovan Draper is 11th among NCAA DI active leaders in rebounding, averaging 8.4 rebounds per game through 60 career games, including matching his career high with 16 boards vs. Holy Cross (Feb. 23). The former football student-athlete ranks second in the League with 7.7 rebounds per game and is the first Midshipmen since Vernon Butler to record 500 rebounds and 500 points in his first two seasons in Annapolis.
 
TWO AMONG NCAA DOUBLE-DOUBLE LEADERS
Bucknell Jr. C Noah Williamson and Navy Jr. C Aidan Kehoe rank 34th and 48th, respectively, among NCAA DI double-double leaders. Williamson recorded double-doubles in three of his last five games to give him nine. Seven of Kehoe’s eight double-doubles have come in League play. 
 
AMERICAN, BOSTON U. AND BUCKNELL UNDEFEATED AT HOME IN LEAGUE PLAY
Bucknell concluded its League home schedule 9-0, while American and Boston University are 8-0 on their respective home floors during League play. Patriot League teams have enjoyed home-court success, with the home teams combining to go 60-20 through eight weeks of League games.
 
AMERICAN HOLDS ONE-GAME LEAD IN PL
American holds a one-game lead atop the Patriot League standings after defeating Boston University 48-44 on Saturday. The Eagles have won 11 its last 13 games to clinch a quarterfinal-round home game for the Patriot League Championship. AU posted a Patriot League season-long seven-game win streak between Jan. 11 through Feb. 1, before a loss at Bucknell on Feb. 5. After the loss, the Eagles won three straight, including a pair of games decided by three or fewer points. In League play, Rogers has paced the offense with 18.2 points per game, while So. F Greg Jones (11.6 ppg) and Sr. G Elijah Stephens (11.2 ppg, 4.1 apg) have been key to the Eagles quest for its first League regular-season title since the 2008-09 season. 
 
ARMY - BUCKNELL BREAK LEAGUE RECORD
Army West Point’s 116-110 double-overtime victory over Bucknell on Feb. 8 is the highest-scoring League game in Patriot League history (226 combined points), and the fifth time two League teams scored more than 100 points in a single game. The Black Knights-Bison game is only behind Holy Cross’s 122-118 win vs. Sacred Heart on Nov. 13, 2013 (240 combined points) as the highest-scoring game featuring a League team. The game marked the first time two League teams scored more than 100 points in a single game since 2004.
•Jan. 23, 2004 - Lafayette 111, Lehigh 104 (OT)
•Jan. 27, 2001 - Army 104, Lafayette 103 (OT)
•Feb. 9, 1994 - Holy Cross 107, Lehigh 104 (OT)
•Feb. 2, 1994 - Bucknell 110, Colgate 108 (2OT)
 
THREE AMONG CAREER BLOCK LEADERS
Lafayette Sr. C Justin Vander Baan, Holy Cross Sr. F Caleb Kenney and Colgate 5th-year F Jeff Woodward rank among the Patriot League’s career leaders in blocked shots. Vander Baan is third in NCAA DI with 2.8 blocked shots in 24 games. He is 12th in League history with 174 after totaling 43 blocks in 15 League games. Kenney is 18th in League history with 151 blocked shots and sixth in the League with 0.9 blocks per game through 28 games. Woodward is 24th in League history with 127 blocked shots. He has averaged 1.2 blocks per game in League play, fourth in the League.
PL Career Blocks Leaders
12. Justin Vander Baan, Lafayette, 174
18. Caleb Kenney, Holy Cross, 151
24. Jeff Woodward, Colgate, 127
 
ROOKIES MAKING IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Holy Cross Fr. G Max Green (14.6 ppg) and Lafayette Fr. G Alex Chaikin (12.4 ppg) are seventh and 13th, respectively, among the Patriot League’s scoring leaders, with each student-athlete ranking among their team leaders in scoring. Green is 16th, and Chaikin is 28th among all NCAA DI freshmen in scoring through Feb. 20. Green is also sixth in the League overall with 3.4 assists and 10th with 5.4 rebounds per game. Chaikin is third in the PL in 3-point field-goal percentage (.446).
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Josh Bascoe, Bucknell, Sr., G, Milton, Ontario/Vermont Academy (Vt.)
*Bascoe averaged 22.0 points on 62 percent (16-of-26) shooting from the floor and 58 percent (7-of-12) from 3-point range with 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game during Bucknell’s 2-0 week.
*He scored a career-high 30 points to go with five assists and four steals in the Bison’s 84-53 win against Army to clinch a top-four seed in the Patriot League Championship.
*He finished with 14 points and four assists in a 67-50 victory over Lehigh on Monday.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Max Green, Holy Cross, Fr., G, La Grange, Ky./Oldham County
*Green averaged 19.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists while hitting 46.7 percent of his 3-point attempts to help the Crusaders go 1-1 last week.
*He finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists in a 74-69 overtime win vs. Lafayette on Wednesday.
*The freshman guard finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and two assists in an overtime loss to the Mids on Sunday.
  
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.