ANNAPOLIS, Md. - One of the most bitter rivalries in the Patriot League gets renewed on Wednesday night when the Navy Midshipmen host the Bucknell Bison in a contest presented by First Command. Matched up in the Patriot League postseason tournament in the semifinals in 2018 and the finals in 2017, the Bison (16-4, 7-1 PL) swept the 2017-18 regular season series only to be tripped up by the Mids (8-10, 3-5 PL) in the semifinals in Lewisburg by a score of 68-62. Bucknell was the second seed in the tournament, while Navy was number three. The first of two 2018-19 matchups on Wednesday night features a Navy team looking to get back to its winning ways after dropping three straight games in league play versus a Bucknell team that is in the midst of a six-game winning streak. Tip-off between the Mids and Bison is set for 7 p.m. at Alumni Hall.

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

Last Time Out
Looking to even its Patriot League record on Saturday afternoon, Navy was hampered by its worst shooting performance of the season in a 49-35 loss to Boston University. In a defensive slugfest that saw the teams grind out a 16-13 score at halftime, the visiting Terriers (9-9, 5-3 PL) broke open the game in the third quarter with a dominant 21-4 period of play over the Mids (8-10. 3-5 PL). Over the 40 minutes of action at Alumni Hall, Navy was held to a 23.2 percent shooting.

The defensive tone was set early as the first quarter saw both teams held significantly below their scoring and shooting averages. In the 8-5 quarter, Navy broke through first as defense turned into offense early as Jennifer Coleman intercepted a pass and went coast-to-coast for a layup on the other end at 9:10. That was the only successful field goal for either team over the first four-plus minutes as Boston opened 0-5 with three turnovers, while Navy was 1-6 with three turnovers, as well. With the score 8-3, Katie Nelson made the Terriers' first goal of the game with 58 seconds left in the quarter. The two teams combined to shoot 4-27 from the field (14.8 percent).

Coming out in the second quarter up 8-5, the Mids' lead evaporated by the 8:16 mark as the Terriers connected on two of their first three shot attempts. Laurel Jaunich snapped Navy's 7:07 scoreless streak as she sank a high arching three-pointer from the left wing. That trey put the Mids back ahead, 11-9 at 5:33. After the under-five media timeout, a short run on offense saw the score increase up to a 14-13 margin in favor of Navy by 1:49. A late layup by Coleman with 75 seconds remaining helped the Mids go into halftime up 16-13.

Trailing by three to start the second half, the visitors made their first five shots as part of a 12-0 run. While the Terriers were on fire from the field, troubles with the Mids' ball handling was hampering the hosts as they turned the ball over six times over the first five minutes of play. Kolbi Green found the answer for Navy's offensive struggles as she ended the team's 6:21 scoreless streak with a three-pointer at 3:39. The final tally for the third quarter was Boston 21 and Navy 4.

With the score 34-20 in favor of Boston going into the fourth the Terriers kept putting distance between them and the Mids as they immediately deposited a pair of free throws to go up 16 at the start of the fourth quarter. Coming off the bench, Cailin Duffy recorded five points on her own with a layup and three-pointer in a matter of three possessions. Duffy's streak was part of a bigger 7-2 run that made it a 38-27 game with 6:39 left in regulation. That 11-point margin would be as close it would get for Navy the rest of the game as the contest went final at 49-35.

A pair of freshmen, Coleman and Duffy, highlighted Navy's individual performers on Saturday as Coleman registered a line of 10 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists. Duffy was a spark off the bench for the Mids as she netted seven points over 10 minutes of play.

Navy continued its streak of strong defensive efforts as in all eight Patriot League matchups, the Mids have held their opponent to 58 or less points, including five straight with 55 or less. BU came into the game averaging 60.2 points per contest with three players averaging 10.3 or more points. All three players: Nia Irving, Payton Hauck and Lauren Spearman were held to single-digit outputs on Saturday. The Terriers' Katie Nelson took over the offense with a game-high 23 points.

Navy versus Bucknell
The Mids and Bison have met 66 times in a series that began on December 5, 1981 ... In a series with multiple lengthy streaks of wins and losses, Bucknell leads Navy 37-29 ... Over 30 games played in Annapolis the series is an even 15-15 ... During the 38 years of competition between the squads, Navy has run off streaks of nine wins (2009-2013) and five games twice (1981-1992 / 1997-1999), while Bucknell won 13 straight (1999-2004), nine straight (2005-2009) and most recently seven straight (2015-2018) ... Last season marked the 14th time in series history that the Bison had swept the regular season, 2-0 over the Mids, though Navy would exact revenge in the postseason with a 68-62 win in the Patriot League Semifinals ... Over the last ten matchups, Navy is 2-8.
    Last 5 Games
    March 8, 2018 (A): Navy 68 - Bucknell 62 *Patriot League Semifinals
    Feb. 21, 2018 (H): Bucknell 49 - Navy 40
    Jan. 24, 2018 (A): Bucknell 47 - Navy 37
    March 12, 2017 (A): Bucknell 79 - Navy 71 (OT) *Patriot League Finals
    Feb. 25, 2017 (H): Bucknell 63 - Navy 54    

2017-18 Series Recap
Navy and Bucknell played three times last year with the Bison winning both regular season matchups and the Mids getting their revenge in the postseason ... Low-scoring, competitive affairs in both Lewisburg on Jan. 24 and Annapolis on Feb. 21 saw the Bison edge the Mids by single-digits in both instances, 47-39 in game one and 49-40 in game two ... First quarter leads by Bucknell set the tone in both contests as the Bison led 15-5 in the first game and 16-11 in the second. These early advantages helped Bucknell lead 68:55 of 80 regulation minutes ... In the Patriot League Semifinals, the third-seeded Mids returned the favor and led wire-to-wire with control of the scoreboard for 38:04 minutes as the game was tied for the other 1:56 ... Looking at the cumulative statistics, Bucknell held slight advantages in the majority of categories including, scoring (52.7 - 49.0 ppg), field goal percentage (38.3% - 32.4%), rebounds (43.7-31.3 rpg) and points in the paint (27.3-24.7 ppg) ... Navy's defense shown through with a significant 57-30 margin in total caused turnovers as Bucknell averaged 19.0 miscues per game.

Comparing the Teams

Wednesday's Promotions
Navy will host Sponsor Parent Appreciation Night on Wednesday.  All Naval Academy Midshipmen sponsor families are invited to game at group rate ticket prices.

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.