ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Early season Patriot League conference play will continue for the Navy women's basketball team on Wednesday night as the Mids (6-6, 1-1 PL) host the American Eagles (5-8, 1-1 PL) in a 7 p.m. contest at Alumni Hall. In a rematch of the 2018 Patriot League Championship Final, Navy and American will come into the game after splitting their respective first week of conference action. After winning on Thursday at Loyola, the Mids were tripped up versus Lehigh on Sunday, while the Eagles did the reverse, losing to Bucknell on Thursday and knocking off Colgate on Sunday.
Wednesday's game will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network. Live stats will be available at NavyStats.com.
Last Time Out
Hosting Lehigh on Sunday afternoon, Navy had an inauspicious start and felt the effects of it throughout the action at Alumni Hall as the team fell by a score of 56-38. Outscored 15-2 in the first quarter, the Mids (6-6, 1-1 PL) were never able to muster enough of the rally to get closer than seven points in the second half versus the experienced Mountain Hawks (10-3, 2-0 PL) squad.
Coming out in the second quarter down by 13 points,
Sophie Gatzounas put an end to Navy's 6:17 scoreless streak with a steal and layup 17 seconds into the period. A pair of three-point plays, an and-one conversion by
Bianca Roach at 7:21 and a traditional three-pointer by
Cailin Duffy at 5:30 looked to spark the Mids as Roach's basket cut the Mountain Hawks' lead to 10 points, while Duffy's score made it an 11-point game.
Cayla Hannibal and
Jennifer Coleman combined for five points over the final 81 seconds to send the contest into halftime at a 29-17 margin.
In the third quarter with the game getting closer at 32-25 at 6:27, the Mountain Hawks responded with a Gena Grundhoffer layup to build their advantage back out to nine points.
Morgan Taylor continued her strong third quarter with a steal and fast-break layup at 4:59 to once again help Navy cut its deficit to seven points, 34-27. The visitors found their shooting stroke in the second half of the period and outscored Navy, 12-5 to make it a 46-32 game after 30 minutes. For the quarter, Navy shot 58.3 (7-12) percent.
A similar script unfolded for Navy in the first half of the fourth quarter as the Mids netted the first six points of the stanza.
Kolbi Green put the exclamation point on this 3:18 run with a three-pointer at 6:42. With the score, 46-38, Lehigh came back with an emphatic 10-0 run of its own to conclude the game with a 56-38 score.
For the contest, Lehigh outshot Navy, 35.2 (19-54) percent to 25.0 (15-60). The visitors also recorded higher percentages from three-point range, 34.8 (8-23) percent to 23.5 (4-17) and from the foul line, 83.3 (10-12) percent to 57.1 (4-7).
Defensively, Navy forced Lehigh into 21 turnovers on 10 steals. Roach spearheaded the Mids' defense with a game-high four steals. On the other end of the court,
the Mids
had nine players register points with Taylor leading the way with seven. Duffy and Coleman were second on the team with six points each.
Navy versus American
The Mids and Eagles have met 54 times in a series that began on February 16, 1978 ... All-time, American leads Navy, 31-23, though the Mids have posted a 17-9 mark in games played in Alumni Hall ... Since the Eagles joined the Patriot League in 2003-04, American is 18-16, including a 5-2 showing in seven Patriot League postseason contests against Navy ... Over the last ten matchups, the Mids are 3-7.
Last 5 Games:
March 11, 2018 (A): American 58 - Navy 49 (PL Championship Final)
Feb. 28, 2018 (H): Navy 76 - American 49
Jan. 5, 2018 (A): American 46 - Navy 41
March 1, 2017 (H): Navy 60 - American 44
Feb. 22, 2017 (A): American 50 - Navy 48
2017-18 Series Recap
Navy and American played three times last season culminating in the 2018 Patriot League Championship Final in Washington, D.C. ... A low-scoring 46-41 affair kicked off the season series with the Eagles earning the victory at home on Jan. 5 ... Navy got revenge on Feb. 28 as it dominated American to the tune of a 76-49 win ... Two weeks later in the finals of the Patriot League Tournament, the Eagles won by nine points, 58-49 on its home court ... Looking at the cumulative statistics, Navy's big win in game two turned a variety of statistical categories in its favor: scoring (55.3-51.0 ppg), field goal percentage (37.1% - 32.3%), three-point shooting (29.9% - 28.3%), rebounding (40.3-35.0) and steals (33-22) ... Of the 120 total minutes of action, Navy led for 74:40 minutes versus 33:06 for American.
Comparing the Teams
| (2018-19 Stats) |
Navy |
American |
| Record / Patriot League |
6-6 / 1-1 |
5-8 / 1-1 |
| Home / Away / Neut. Record |
3-3 / 3-3 |
4-1 / 1-5 / 0-2 |
| Points Per Game |
57.9 PPG |
64.2 PPG |
| Points Allowed Per Game |
55.9 PPG |
67.2 PPG |
| Field Goal Percentage |
34.8 % |
40.1 % |
| 3-Point Percentage |
26.0 % |
34.9 % |
| Free Throw Percentage |
63.5 % |
75.0 % |
| Rebounds Per Game |
40.1 RPG |
34.5 RPG |
| Assists/Turnovers Per Game |
11.1 / 18.3 |
13.6 / 15.8 |
Individual Leaders
| (2018-19 Stats) |
Navy |
American |
| Points Per Game |
Coleman, 12.8 PPG |
K. Marenyi, 13.4 PPG |
| Rebounds Per Game |
Coleman, 7.6 RPG |
I. Sanders, 5.1 RPG |
| Assists Per Game |
Coleman, 3.1 APG |
K. Lewis, 3.2 APG |
| Field Goal Percentage |
Gatzounas, 48.5 % |
K. Marenyi, 50.0 % |
| 3-Point Percentage |
Gatzounas, 39.1 % |
K. Marenyi, 60.0 % |
| Free Throw Percentage |
Green, 81.8 % |
E. Koskimies, 92.7 % |
Keys to Success
Through 12 games, some patterns are starting to emerge for the Midshipmen ...
Allowing 59 or fewer points: Navy is ... 5-2
Holding opponents to 38% or less shooting from the field: 6-1
Scoring more points in the paint: 5-1
Out-rebounding the opponent: 5-2
Wednesday's Promotions
Girl Scouts Night
Girl Scout Appreciation Day! All Girl Scouts are invited to come out to Navy Women's Basketball for a group rate ticket and receive a patch if they are in uniform.
"We Back Pat" Alzheimer's Awareness Game
The "We Back Pat" game was created to bring Alzheimer's awareness and honor Pat Summitt, one of the most legendary coaches in women's basketball. One of the greatest trailblazers for women in sports, Coach Summitt spent 38 seasons with the Tennessee Lady Vols and posted an overall record of 1,098-208 before being stricken with the disease. Maryland's local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association will be in attendance while also providing informational pamphlets to fans.
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.
