The Navy Midshipmen men’s basketball team delivered a dominant offensive performance, led by Aidan Kehoe’s perfect shooting, to defeat Loyola Maryland 87-71 on January 31, 2026, at Alumni Hall in Annapolis.
Kehoe, a senior center, scored 23 points on 11-for-11 field goal shooting, including one free throw, while adding seven rebounds, two steals, and three assists. His flawless effort from the floor tied the Patriot League record for most field goals made without a miss and fell one short of the Navy school record set by David Robinson (12-for-12 against East Carolina on March 7, 1985). Kehoe leads the NCAA in field goal percentage this season.
Six Midshipmen reached double figures in scoring: Kehoe with 23, Jordan Pennick with 15 (6-for-9 shooting, five assists), Donovan Draper with 14 (7-for-11, five steals, six rebounds), Jinwoo Kim with 12 (five field goals including two threes), Austin Benigni with 11 (surpassing Greg Sprink’s school record for career Patriot League points at 941), and Cam Cole with 10. Navy shot 65.5 percent from the field overall (38-for-58), including 74.4 percent on two-point attempts (32-for-43), setting a Patriot League game record for field goal percentage. The team dished out 27 assists on 38 made baskets, tying for second-most in a Patriot League game in program history.
Navy improved to 17-6 overall and 9-1 in the Patriot League, matching the program’s best 10-game conference starts in 1997-98, 1999-00, and 2020-21. Colgate sits alone in second at 7-3 in league play. The victory marked Navy’s fifth straight win and extended its strong home performance.
The game featured momentum swings. Navy trailed 11-8 early but used a 15-3 run to lead 23-14, then a 22-6 spurt for a 30-17 advantage. Loyola responded with three-point shooting—eight of its 13 first-half field goals were threes—closing to 36-32 before halftime, where Navy led 44-36. Kehoe paced the Mids with 15 first-half points on 7-for-7 shooting, while Benigni was held scoreless in the opening stanza.
In the second half, Navy opened with an 11-2 run for a 55-40 lead. The margin reached 68-52 before Loyola cut it to 68-58 in 28 seconds. Navy answered with a 7-0 spurt, capped by Benigni’s three-pointer, for a 79-64 cushion with 3:52 left. The Mids held firm, outscoring Loyola 50-24 in the paint and 36-24 on the boards (despite 12 offensive rebounds by the Greyhounds).
Loyola (8-15, 4-6 Patriot League) was paced by Emmett Adair’s 28 points (six threes) and seven rebounds, with Braeden Speed adding 24 points. The Greyhounds shot 40 percent from three (12-for-30) and 40.3 percent overall but cooled to 4-for-13 from deep in the second half.
Head coach Jon Perry praised the team’s composure and maturity after limited preparation following a road trip. “I thought today was as close as we have come to playing a complete game from one half to another,” Perry said. “I’m really proud of the guys. We really only had one day to prepare as we had a light day Thursday after flying back from Boston that morning. It is a blessing having a mature team, and a team that is really focused. The guys were locked in.”
Perry highlighted the ball movement and execution around Kehoe. “I am really excited about these guys buying in to moving the basketball,” he said of the 27 assists. “That’s basketball. They are starting to understand the spacing, how to play with Aidan down low, when to flash into the high post, how to rotate.”
On Draper, Perry noted, “That’s Donovan Draper. He is everywhere. He guarded five guys today. He has the ability to do that, and in transition he is able to get us some easy baskets. He has been in the gym working on his jump shot. I’m excited for that guy.”
Kehoe’s efficiency drew special mention. “He is a special young guy,” Perry said. “He got sped up a bit today, but it is amazing how he is able to absorb things on the sideline. I thought he had a couple of really good skips for wide open threes, and those are plays he was not making last year. That’s a credit to him watching film and being coachable.”
The Mids’ 87 points marked their highest in a 40-minute regular-season league game since 88-83 at Lehigh on January 15, 2020. This was the ninth instance of six or more Navy players in double figures, the first against a Division I opponent since 2001.
Navy next travels to face Lafayette on Wednesday.
