Box Score Feb. 18, 2017 Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
ANNAPOLIS, Md. ---- Sarita Condie (Sr., Lovelock, Nev.) and Taylor Dunham (Jr., Fort Belvoir, Va.) combined for 38 points to help lead the Navy women's basketball team to a 67-62 victory over Army West Point Saturday at Alumni Hall in Annapolis in the annual Star Game between the programs. The Mids won their fourth game in a row and raised their record to 13-2 in the Patriot League, 20-6 overall, while the Black Knights saw their five-game winning streak end and their record fall to 10-5 in league play and 19-7 overall with the loss.
The win for Navy was its first in the Star Game, presented by USAA, since the 2012 season and its first in a home Star Game since 2003.
"I don't even know how to describe it," said Condie. "For us seniors, to finally win the Star, do it at home, and have each of us play well, it is just awesome. I couldn't have scripted it better."
"We just battled," said Navy head coach Pemper. "It was such a hard-fought game. You watch a game like that and I think you are impressed with both teams, for how much the women on both teams wanted it. I'm really happy for our seniors for them to get the Star in their senior year. The three of them have worked hard."
With just three games remaining in the regular season after today, Navy will be no worse than in a tie with Bucknell for first place in the league standings. The Bison play host to Boston U. later this evening.
The Mids went on an early 9-2 run to jump in front 11-4 less than four minutes into the game and took a 19-11 lead into the start of the second quarter. The Black Knights would tie the score at 20-20 and take a 23-22 lead with 5:48 remaining in the frame. Condie scored the ensuing two baskets for Navy, with the latter of the two giving her 12 points in the game and 1,001 career points. She is the 20th player in Navy history to reach the 1,000-point plateau, and the Mids have now won nine-straight games in which one of their players reaches that milestone.
"It's really cool," said Condie of scoring her 1,000th point. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited. But something that people forget that a lot that has to do with it are my teammates. I'm so thankful for the confidence they have in me, and the coaches for allowing me to get this."
Dunham added the next field goal to push the Navy lead out to 29-23 with 4:35 still to play before halftime.
Army would close the first half on an 8-2 run to take a 31-30 lead at intermission.
The Black Knights led the Mids 29-28 at halftime of the first game of the season, which ended with Navy defeating Army 63-58.
After the Black Knights opened the third quarter with a field goal, the Mids answered with a 6-0 run to take a 36-33 lead. That advantage was short lived as the score would be tied at 38-38 and 40-40, then the teams closed the first 30 minutes of the game knotted at 46-46.
Dunham made her presence felt at the start of the fourth quarter as she quickly rattled off the opening five points of the stanza on a made free throw, two more free throws and a layup to give Navy a 51-46 lead less than two minutes into play. The Navy advantage would reach six points when Condie drilled another three-point field goal that made the score 56-50 at the midpoint of the quarter. Army whittled the margin down to just two points at 56-54, but Condie's fourth triple of the afternoon gave Navy a 59-54 lead with 2:11 left on the clock.
"To me it was just another `three,'" said Condie, "but they (Army) did such a good job of denying me the basketball, so when I was open I just tried to advantage of it."
Army's Aliyah Murray promptly made it a 59-56 game with a field goal at the 1:53 mark. Navy would slowly grow its lead back to five points when first Ashanti Kennedy (Sr., Virginia Beach, Va.) and then Kaila Clark (Fr., Hughesville, Md.) made one of two free throw attempts for the Mids. Clark's point gave the Mids a 62-56 lead with 41.3 seconds remaining.
The Navy cushion was down to three points ---- 63-60 ---- with 32.9 seconds left, then Condie was fouled and made one of two attempts from the foul line to make the score 64-60. Army missed a field goal attempt on its next possession, then players from both teams grabbed for the errant carom and a jump ball was called. The arrow pointed toward the Black Knights with 25.2 seconds remaining.
Army inbounded the ball to Lena' Hicks at the free throw line and she attempted to shoot the ball as soon as she caught it. However, Bianca Roach (So., Virginia Beach, Va.) swooped in and not only blocked the shot but also grabbed the ball and raced toward the Navy basket with it. She was eventually fouled with 18.9 seconds left to play and made one of two foul shots to make the score 65-60.
The Black Knights missed a three-point attempt on their next possession and ensuing scramble for the loose ball was knocked out of bounds by Army with 11 seconds remaining. Kennedy inbounded the ball from under the Army basket with a three-quarter court pass to a sprinting Dunham, who gathered in the ball and then layed it in with five seconds remaining to make the score 67-60.
Both teams made 25 field goals in the game ---- the Mids shot 43.9 percent on 57 field goal attempts, the Black Knights 39.1 percent on 64 attempts ---- with Navy sinking 5-10 three-point attempts and Army converting on 3-11 shots from beyond the arc. The team making more three-point field goals has now won 17 of the last 18 Army-Navy games.
Navy was the more successful team at getting to the charity stripe, but the Mids struggled once there. Navy was just 12-25 (48%) from the foul line while Army was 9-13 (69.2%) in its free throw attempts.
Condie accounted for four of Navy's five made triples in the game as she was 4-5 from downtown as part of an 8-17 shooting effort that gave her a game-high 21 points.
"Just to be so ready for every tiny open window she got to score," said Pemper on Condie's effort. "They (Army) did a great job on our three-point shooters all game, and just a really good job on her. She was so versatile tonight. She did a nice job going to the hoop a few times. So efficient from three, and we needed a couple of emotional threes in the fourth quarter."
Dunham was 5-9 from the field ---- many of her attempts coming on weaving drives through the lane ---- and 5-8 from the foul line to give her 17 points.
"We felt we needed her (Taylor) in the second half, and she stepped up," said Pemper.
Justice Swett (Sr., Nashville, Tenn.) tied a career high with seven offensive boards as part of a nine-rebound effort. She also was 3-5 from the floor, scored eight points in all, dished out five assists and recorded three steals. Defensively, she helped limited Army's Madison Hovren, who leads the Patriot League in both points (19.2) and rebounds (10.6) to 2-8 shooting, seven points and nine rebounds.
"It was kind of classic Justice," said Pemper. "She played 35 minutes and doing what she does so well; getting position, wanting the ball, battling for boards. She is just so shifty. She is a hard player to guard. She didn't guard her (Hovren) by herself. She wanted it as well in her own way."
Clark and Kennedy also did a good job on the glass as they combined for 13 caroms (seven by Clark).
Aliyah Murray had a strong game for Army as she was 10-16 from the field and totaled 20 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and three assists.
Navy will next play Wednesday night at American.