ANNAPOLIS, Md. – In a rematch of the 2018 Patriot League Women's Basketball Championship Final, American got the best of Navy by a score of 58-45 on Wednesday night. Coming into the night with matching 1-1 records in 2018-19 Patriot League play, the Eagles (6-8, 2-1 PL) pulled out the 13-point victory over the Mids (6-7, 1-2 PL) with a strong 15-8 fourth quarter to close the game at Alumni Hall. 
 
Individually, Jennifer Coleman (Fr., Richmond, Va.) led Navy in scoring for the sixth time this season with a team-high 14 points on 6-13 shooting from the field. Senior team captain Bianca Roach (Virginia Beach, Va.) had a well-rounded performance on both ends of the court with eight points, three assists and five steals.
 
"This game was really close; it was within six points for most of it," remarked head coach Stefanie Pemper. "As well as they [American] were playing. Their leading scorer [Cecily Carl] only had six points. They had a lot of other players step up. Their assists today were way above their average. 
 
"I thought our motion offense worked well in the fourth quarter. We went small and started reading better on how they were defending us. We just missed some good shots in the fourth."
 
Navy came out of the blocks fast on Wednesday as Coleman and Roach made the first two shots for the Mids, Coleman a lengthy jumper and Roach a three-pointer from the left wing. After American rattled off seven unanswered points to take a 9-5 lead by the 5:30 mark, Laurel Jaunich (Jr., Charlotte, Vt.) put an end to the run with an athletic drive to the hoop along the baseline. Less than two minutes later, Coleman sank the second three-pointer of the period for the Mids as she swished home a trey at 3:52 to make it 11-10 in favor of the Eagles. The visitors closed out the frame on a 5-2 run.
 
Starting the second quarter down 16-12, Navy scored on its first two possessions as Coleman and Montana Braxton (Jr., Cape Elizabeth, Maine) made baskets to cut American's advantage to three points at 19-16, 44 seconds into the frame. The Eagles continued to hold the lead throughout the majority of the quarter as the Mids trailed between one and five points for the first 7:42 before a Maddie Doring three at 2:18 put American up six, 26-20. Each team put points on the board over the final 32 seconds to conclude the first half at 28-21. 
 
After 20 minutes of action, the Eagles were outshooting the Mids, 46.2 percent (12-26) to 34.6 (9-26). Navy was staying in the game with a pronounced 20-11 lead on the glass. Both Morgan Taylor (Jr., Evans, Ga.) and Coleman had corralled five rebounds in the first half.
 
Trailing by seven points to begin the third quarter, Coleman significantly cut into the Mids' deficit with a banked in three-pointer and a pull-up jumper in back-to-back possessions. Down 28-26, Roach intercepted a Kaitlyn Lewis pass and went unabated to the basket for a fast break lay-up at 7:27 and just like that the game was tied at 28-all. Unfazed American responded right away with five unanswered points to go up 33-28. The back-and-forth action tilted in Navy's direction as the host Midshipmen replied with five points of their own on the strength of a Kolbi Green (Fr., Woodstock, Md.) three-pointer and a Coleman layup. With the game knotted at 33, American scored 10 of the next 14 points to wrap up the final 4:55 of the quarter.
 
The final quarter of regulation opened with American up by six, 43-37. Both teams struggled offensively to start the period as Navy began 1-9, while American was 2-6 over the first 5:09 of play. With the score, 48-39 in favor of the Eagles, the teams traded baskets at 4:21 and 3:53. Mary Kate Ulasewicz (Jr., Doylestown, Pa.) provided Navy's offense with a long two-point jumper. The junior guard connected again for her fourth points in two possessions with another jumper at 2:35 to make it 53-43. That would be as close as the Mids would get in the final two-plus minutes of play as the final buzzer rang out with the Eagles victorious, 58-45.
 
For the game, American outshot Navy, 47.9 percent (23-48) to 35.1 (20-57). The visitors also bested the Mids in three-point shooting, 43.8 percent (7-16) to 19.0 (4-21) and at the foul line, 55.6 percent (5-9) to 33.3 (1-3).
 
Navy held on to win the battle on the boards, though American fought back in the second half to make it closer, 34-31. Taylor was the game's high-rebounder with 10 boards, five on offense and five on defense.
 
Defensively, the Mids forced the Eagles into 15 turnovers on 11 steals. Roach tallied a team-high five thefts in 36 minutes of action.
 
"Our scout coach wanted to get 35 points off of turnovers and offensive rebounds and we got 12," exclaimed Pemper. "I thought 35 was a little high, but I was hoping for maybe 30. 12 though wasn't nearly enough. They [American] are skilled and well-coached so I think the execution of their game plan was what frustrated us."
 
"We're not that far off, so I don't think that's an offseason thing," remarked Pemper about what it would take to kick-start the Mids' offense. "I think it's an extra time in the gym thing and multiple players getting more confident in their ability to shoot and wanting the ball. I think that's going to be really important for us moving forward.
 
"Typically, if a team is going to have a really good season, you're going to have some all-conference players. Who's dreaming about being an all-conference player and putting in the work. It's coaching too, no doubt. We have to come up with better answers. One day of prep for American maybe wasn't enough, but the schedule just fell out that way."
 
Navy will continue early season Patriot League action this weekend with a Saturday afternoon game at Colgate. The Mids and Raiders will face-off in Hamilton, N.Y. in a 1 p.m. contest.