Navy topped Air Force in a basketball matchup 20 years in the making. 

In the first service academy matchup between the two schools since 2005, a second-half push by the Midshipmen gave Navy a 61-56 rivalry win in Annapolis on Sunday. It was Air Force’s first academy game since a 76-58 win over Army in 2021. 

The Falcons had won the previous four matchups and still lead 14-12 all-time.

“There was a lot of energy, the atmosphere was great, and lots of people showed out,” freshman Justin Hinds told AM 740 KVOR. “Both teams played hard, and it was a good experience.” 

The Falcons (3-8) had a 25-24 edge into the second half and extended their lead to nine with 12 minutes left, but senior Austin Benigni helped Navy (6-5) take over with a 15-3 run to lead for the rest of the half. Air Force managed to get within two with about two minutes left (49-47), but the Midshipmen maintained their lead for the rest of the game. 

Benigni had 25 points and played all 40 minutes, with 23 points coming in the second half after being held to just two in the first. Aiden Kehoe had the only double-double of the day with 10 points and 15 rebounds.

“Guys like that, you have to do your job for 40 minutes, and we didn’t, and they made us pay,” coach Joe Scott told the Gazette. 

“We had done an unbelievable job on the kid until that point,” Scott said of Benigni on AM 740 KVOR. “Our attention to detail was good all game. We had our best practice of the year yesterday. Our prep for this game was really good. I told the team that’s what happened when you prepare. Those guys require that vigilance.”

The Midshipmen out-scored the Falcons 37-31 in the second half, and both teams shot 40% from the field. Air Force shot 8-for-14 (57%) from the foul line while Navy was 14-for-15 (93%). 

Kam Sanders led three Falcons in double digits with 15 points and four rebounds, followed by Caleb Walker with 12 points, six rebounds, and 10 points and seven rebounds from Lucas Hobin. Hinds notched his first career 3-pointer and ended the day with eight points, including two threes, and six rebounds. 

“We’ve been having great practices, pushing each other to get better,” Hinds said. “It’s just about translating that on the court. We know we can play well on the offensive and defensive end, and there’s always lapses, but we have good energy and care a lot and will keep working on that and let the rest speak for itself.”

A slow first half with 11 lead changes and six ties ended with Air Force having a one-point edge heading to the locker room at halftime. Neither team scored a field goal for the last three minutes of the half. Navy’s 24 points in the first is the lowest allowed in a half this season. 

Air Force has a week of rest and finals before returning to action Dec. 17 when it opens conference play against San Diego State at Viejas Arena at 9 p.m. MT. 

Scott hopes to continue to see the team’s preparation in practice show up in games. 

“I know our team was well-prepared; we had great energy ourselves,” Scott said. “As I said to the team, it was our best practice yesterday, and it showed up in how we played. It can’t just be a rivalry game; you’ve got to prepare like that all the time. It has to become a habit. It just gets harder. It’s a good league, and we have to show that we can be better at hard. That’s what this team has to do.”