FOUNTAIN HILL, Pa. (Interstat) — In a game that required two overtimes and featured a duel of career-high scoring performances, Austin Benigni’s 34 points propelled Navy to an 82-79 victory over Lehigh in a Patriot League men’s basketball thriller Saturday at Stabler Arena.

The Midshipmen, who led for just over 10 minutes of regulation, survived a 31-point onslaught from Lehigh’s Nasir Whitlock by dominating the offensive glass and making critical plays in the final extra session to improve to 13-6 overall. The Mountain Hawks fell to 7-12.

The most pivotal sequence of the marathon contest unfolded in the final minute of the second overtime. With Navy clinging to an 80-79 lead, Benigni, the 5-foot-10 guard from The Woodlands, Texas, drove and hit a pull-up jumper with 41 seconds remaining to push the advantage to three. On the ensuing possession, Lehigh’s Edouard Benoit was called for an offensive foul, handing the ball back to Navy with 13 seconds left.

Benigni was fouled and made both free throws to seal the victory, capping a 50-minute afternoon where he also contributed two assists and two steals.

The game was a study in contrasting efficiencies. Both teams finished with 30 made field goals on 69 attempts. However, Navy’s 8-of-19 shooting from 3-point range and a massive 17-5 advantage in offensive rebounds provided crucial extra possessions that offset Lehigh’s superior ball security. The Mountain Hawks committed only eight turnovers to Navy’s 16 and dished out 11 assists to the Midshipmen’s five, but were hampered by a 6-of-29 performance from beyond the arc.

Navy’s Aidan Kehoe was a force inside, complementing Benigni with 21 points and a game-high four offensive rebounds as part of his overall effort. Jinwoo Kim added 10 points for the Midshipmen.

Whitlock, a sophomore from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, carried the Lehigh offense, playing 37 minutes and adding three assists. Benoit supported him with 16 points and a block, while Joshua Ingram chipped in 11 points, two assists and two blocks.

The regulation finish was a frantic back-and-forth. After a relatively low-scoring first overtime ended with the teams tied at 67, Navy seized control early in the second extra period. The Midshipmen never trailed in the final five minutes, though Lehigh stayed within one possession until Benigni’s late heroics.

Navy led 27-26 at halftime, but Lehigh surged ahead in the second half, leading by as many as eight points. The Midshipmen chipped away, setting the stage for the dramatic finish that saw the game tied at 59 at the end of regulation.

The victory keeps Navy near the top of the Patriot League standings, while Lehigh continues to search for consistency in a season marked by several close losses. The teams are scheduled to meet again in Annapolis, Maryland, on Feb. 18.

Navy next hosts Holy Cross on Wednesday. Lehigh returns to action Monday at home against Loyola Maryland.