ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The third week of Patriot League women's basketball play begins on Wednesday when Navy hosts Holy Cross at Alumni Hall. Both teams come into the matchup in Annapolis after collecting victories on Saturday, Jan. 12 as the Mids (7-7, 2-2 PL) went on the road and knocked off Colgate, 62-49, while the Crusaders (9-6, 1-3 PL) defeated Loyola at home by a score of 78-60. Navy swept Holy Cross, two games to none in 2017-18, as the Mids bested the Crusaders, 65-58 on the road on Jan. 11 before coming home and defeating them again on Feb. 7, 62-54. The tip-off on Wednesday night is set for 7 p.m.

Wednesday's game will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network. Live stats will be available at NavyStats.com.

Last Time Out
Coming off a challenging homestand in which it lost a pair of the Patriot League contests, Navy came out on Saturday afternoon and earned a 13-point win at Colgate. The Mids (7-7, 2-2 PL) controlled the majority of the action throughout the game as they led the Raiders (6-8, 2-2 PL) for over 36 minutes in the contest at Cotterell Court. Navy showcased an aggressive brand of basketball at both ends of the court as 18 of its 22 made field goals were converted in the post, while its defense forced Colgate into 21 turnovers.

Leading 15-13 after one quarter, Navy added some depth to its lead coming out in the second quarter with five unanswered points. Up seven, 20-13 at 8:14, the Raiders fought back over the next 3:10 with a 11-0 run to take a 24-20 lead. A Jasmine Bishop layup at 4:31 stopped that run and was immediately backed up by five straight points by Kolbi Green to help Navy retake the lead 27-24 by 3:14. Two free throws by Laurel Jaunich at 1:43 extended the Mids' streak to 9-0. With the score 29-24, both teams tallied four points before the second quarter expired.

The second half opened with Colgate notching the first basket before Navy fired back with eight straight points to take its then-biggest lead of the game at 41-30. The Mids' defense continued its stranglehold on the Raiders as the third quarter action saw 5:17 of scoreless play for Colgate from 9:51 to 4:34. With the score 42-32, the quarter closed with the Raiders scoring seven points versus six for the Mids. 

 The final period of regulation was evenly matched as both team opened with six points over the first 5:29 of play. The back-and-forth action continued with Colgate cutting its deficit to seven only to see Navy fight back with an ensuing basket on four different occasions in the fourth quarter. Up nine at 58-49 with 93 seconds left to play, the Mids iced the game with four points to win by a final of 62-49. 

For the game, Colgate out-paced Navy in all three shooting categories: field goal percentage, 35.1 percent to 31.0, three-point percentage, 18.8 to 12.5 and in free throw percentage, 100.0 to 72.7. Of note, the Mids had only been to the foul line 16 times over their first three combined Patriot League contests.

Navy won the battle of the boards with a season-high 50 rebounds. Three Mids paced the squad in rebounds with Jennifer Coleman notching a team-high of 13. Roach and Gatzounas recorded totals of eight and seven, respectively. Both totals were notable as Roach's eight were a career-high and all seven of Gatzounas' boards came on the offensive end.

The Mids were led by a well-balanced attack that saw all five of their starters score eight or more points on Saturday. Sophie Gatzounas and Kolbi Green spearheaded Navy's offensive effort with point totals of 14 and 10, respectively. 

Navy versus Holy Cross
The Mids and Crusaders have met 63 times in a series that began on January 18, 1992  ... All-time, Holy Cross leads Navy, 42-21 with a 19-12 advantage in games played in Annapolis ... The two teams had not ever met prior to the Mids joining the Patriot League in 1991-92 ... Last season marked the sixth time in series history that the Mids had swept the regular season, 2-0 over the Crusaders ... Over the last ten matchups, Navy is 6-4 and currently holds a five-game winning streak.
    Last 5 Games
    Feb. 7, 2018 (H): Navy 62 - Holy Cross 54
    Jan. 11, 2018 (A): Navy 65 - Holy Cross 58
    Jan. 28, 2017 (A): Navy 73 - Holy Cross 71
    Jan. 2, 2017 (H): Navy 57 - Holy Cross 56
    Jan. 30, 2016 (H): Navy 50 - Holy Cross 49

2017-18 Series Recap
Navy and Holy Cross played twice last year during the regular season ... Competitive contests in both Worcester on Jan. 11 and Annapolis on Feb. 7 saw the Mids edge the Crusaders by single-digits as they won 65-58 on the road before defending Alumni Hall with a 62-54 win in the second half of the home-and-home ... Looking at the cumulative statistics, Navy held slight advantages in most categories including scoring (63.5 - 56.0 ppg), field goal percentage (39.8% - 34.8%), three-point shooting (38.1% - 32.3%), rebounding (39.5-38.0 rpg) and assists (16.0-12.0 apg) ... Of the 80 total minutes of action, Navy led for 59:44 minutes versus 16:13 for Holy Cross ... Large advantages in the second and third quarters helped the Mids in the 2017-18 series as they outscored the Crusaders, 32-20 in the second and 40-24 in the third.

Comparing the Teams

(2018-19 Stats)	Navy	Holy Cross
Record / Patriot League	7-7 / 2-2	9-6 / 1-3
Home / Away Record	3-4 / 4-3	6-2 / 3-4
Points Per Game	57.3 PPG	67.7 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	55.6 PPG	64.7 PPG
Field Goal Percentage	34.5 %	41.8 %
3-Point Percentage	24.6 %	31.9 %
Free Throw Percentage	64.0 %	68.8 %
Rebounds Per Game	40.4 RPG	41.7 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	11.1 / 17.6	13.1 / 15.1

Individual Leaders

(2018-19 Stats)	Navy	Holy Cross
Points Per Game	Coleman, 12.6 PPG	L. Manis, 19.7 PPG
Rebounds Per Game	Coleman, 7.5 RPG	L. Manis, 12.1 RPG
Assists Per Game	Coleman, 2.9 APG	M. Smith, 4.1 APG
Field Goal Percentage	Gatzounas, 48.7 %	M. Swords, 52.4 %
3-Point Percentage	Gatzounas, 36.0 %	K. Pedi, 43.0 %
Free Throw Percentage	Green, 79.2 %	A. LaBarbera, 92.5 %

Keys to Success
Through 12 games, some patterns are starting to emerge for the Midshipmen ...
Allowing 57 or fewer points: Navy is ... 6-1
Holding opponents to 39% or less shooting from the field: 7-2
Scoring more points in the paint: 6-1
Out-rebounding the opponent: 6-3

Wednesday's Promotions
Camp Reunion Night
All Navy basketball campers are invited back to the Naval Academy for Camper Reunion Night. Campers will be invited to game for the price of a group rate ticket.

Kidshipmen Night
All Kidshipmen members will have the opportunity to purchase game tickets at a reduced group rate price.

Parking/Shuttle Ticket Information
Vehicle access to the U.S. Naval Academy is limited to those with a Department of Defense identification card ... It is suggested that everyone else park at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium ($5 per vehicle) and ride the free shuttle bus to and from the game ... Shuttle bus service will begin one hour prior to tip. Note that a government issued identification card must be carried and presented by visitors ages 18 and older to the USNA prior to being allowed onto The Yard.

Tickets
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth online in advance of the game at NavySports.com. The Alumni Hall Ticket Office will open one hour prior to the start of the game.