ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Patriot League women's basketball season wraps up on Wednesday night when the Navy Midshipmen travel to Washington, D.C. for a 7 p.m. tilt at American University. The Mids (10-17, 5-12 PL) come into the matchup at Bender Arena looking to lock up the No. 8 seed in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament, while the Eagles (19-9, 15-2 PL) will be aiming to keep its hopes of capturing the No. 1 seed and hosting duties throughout the tournament alive. Both teams head into Wednesday hoping to grab momentum before the postseason starts as both were upset within the last minute of play in their respective games on Saturday, Navy versus Loyola and American against Bucknell.

The Navy-American matchup will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network. Live stats will be available on NavySports.com. Additionally, WNAV (AM-1430 / FM-99.9) will carry the game over the radio waves.

Last Time Out
Navy went toe-to-toe with a game Loyola squad on Saturday night and at the end of 40 hard-fought minutes the visitors from Baltimore were victorious by a score of 55-50. Up 50-49 with less than four minutes to go, the Mids (10-17, 5-12 PL) were held scoreless down the stretch as the Greyhounds (5-23, 4-13 PL) converted all six of their free throw attempts. Overall, Loyola was 18-21 from the foul line on Saturday.

On a night that started with a celebration for Navy's lone senior Bianca Roach it was the freshmen duo of Jennifer Coleman and Kolbi Green that paced the Mids on Saturday versus the Greyhounds. Coleman filled up the box score with 16 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two assists over 33 minutes of play, while Green was 4-7 from the field and 3-6 from three-point range on her way to a 13-point evening.

Sophie Gatzounas started the game out hot for the Mids as the sophomore netted seven of the team's first nine points over the opening 3:39 of play to put Navy ahead 9-3. The Mids slowly added four more points to their lead to jump out to a 13-3 advantage. Loyola was held without a point from 8:03 to 2:38 before Delaney Connolly connected on a layup. With the score 13-5, the floodgates from deep opened up for the Mids as Green netted three-pointers on back-to-back possessions at 2:18 and 1:43 to make it a 19-7 game. The visiting Greyhounds reached double-figures late in the quarter to conclude the frame at 19-10.

The second quarter was a complete reversal of the first as Loyola was able to fight its way back into the game with a 18-9 period of play. Navy was plagued by long stretches of scoreless action as the Mids netted baskets at 8:31. 5:21, 4:01 and 1:04. Coleman was the main architect of Navy's offense in the second as she recorded seven of the team's points.

Loyola took its first lead of the game 26 seconds into the third as Bri Betz-White sank a floater in the lane. Navy didn't allow that to last long as the Mids found the bottom of the basket on consecutive possessions as Coleman tied it up at 8:30 before Roach put her squad ahead at 7:54. Three-pointers by Green and Coleman extended the Mids' run out to 10-0 by the 4:38 mark. With the score 38-30 at 3:54, Connolly was able to put an end to the Greyhounds' five-and-a-half minute draught with a pair of free three throws. Those points from the charity stripe sparked a 9-2 comeback run by Loyola to tighten it to a one-point game, 40-39 by the 1:05 mark.

With the score 42-40 in favor of the Mids at the start of the fourth quarter, the Greyhounds opened with a quick 7-2 run over the first 1:47 as they were 3-3 from the field. Trailing by three, 47-44, the teams slowed the pace down and Navy was able score six of the next eight points over an eight-minute span of play. During this stretch, Loyola was scoreless for 5:40 down to 0:41 showing on the clock. Trailing Navy 50-49, Loyola's Taleah Dixon was able to convert a pair of free throws with 41 seconds left to put the Greyhounds back ahead. Two more free throws by the Greyhounds' Betz-White expanded the visitors' lead out to three points with 24 seconds left in regulation. Loyola made two more foul shots to close the game with a score of 55-50. The Mids held the Greyhounds without a made field goal for the final 6:21, though the victors were nearly as stingy as Navy didn't register a point over the final 3:47.

For the game, Navy outshot Loyola from the field, 38.0 percent (19-50) to 33.3 (17-51) and 35.7 percent (5-14) to 21.4 percent (3-14) from three-point range.

Looking Back at Navy-American Game One: January 9, 2019
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, January 9. 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. 

After a close first half of play saw American take a 28-21 lead into the halftime intermission, Jennifer Coleman came out in the third quarter and 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, Bianca 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 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. Over time, the Eagles were able to garner some separation before eventually taking the 58-45 victory.

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).

Individually, Coleman led Navy in scoring for the sixth time this season with a team-high 14 points on 6-13 shooting from the field. Roach had a well-rounded performance on both ends of the court with eight points, three assists and five steals.

Navy versus American
The Mids and Eagles have met 55 times in a series that began on February 16, 1978  ... All-time, American leads Navy, 32-23 with the Eagles holding a substantial 23-5 advantage in games played in Bender Arena; the Mids last win in D.C. was Feb. 20, 2013 (52-42) ... Since the Eagles joined the Patriot League in 2003-04, American is 19-16, 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:
    January 9, 2019 (H): American 58 - Navy 45
    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

Comparing the Teams

(2018-19 Stats)	Navy	American
Record / Patriot League	10-17 / 5-12	19-9 / 15-2
Home / Away Record	6-8 / 4-9	10-2 / 9-5
Points Per Game	54.1 PPG	64.5 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	57.4 PPG	59.3 PPG
Field Goal Percentage	34.0 %	42.1 %
3-Point Percentage	24.8 %	35.0 %
Free Throw Percentage	63.5 %	74.6 %
Rebounds Per Game	37.4 RPG	33.0 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	10.9 / 17.0	15.3 / 13.9

Individual Leaders

(2018-19 Stats)	Navy	American
Points Per Game	Coleman, 12.8 PPG	C. Carl, 15.6 PPG
Rebounds Per Game	Coleman, 8.3 RPG	C. Carl, 5.5 RPG
Assists Per Game	Coleman, 2.9 APG	I. Sanders, 3.4 APG
Field Goal Percentage	Gatzounas, 45.1 %	C. Carl, 48.3 %
3-Point Percentage	Coleman, 32.9 %	C. Carl, 37.8 %
Free Throw Percentage	Green, 77.1 %	E. Koskimies, 93.2 %

Coleman Eyes the Record Books
Freshman guard Jennifer Coleman's excellent rookie season has put her in some esteemed company and given her the opportunity to etch her name into the program record book.
    Top-Five Freshmen Scorers in Navy History
    #1. 414 - Colleen Cassidy (1978-79, 17.3 PPG)
    #2. 398 - Cassie Consedine (2007-08, 13.7 PPG)
    #3. 374 - Becky Dowling (1994-95, 13.4 PPG)
    #4. 346 - Jennifer Coleman (2018-19, 12.7 PPG)    
    #5. 324 - Courtney Davidson (2000-01, 11.6 PPG) 

    Defensive Rebounds in a Season (All Classes)
    #7. 166 - Becky Dowling, 1997-98
          166 - Cassie Consedine, 2008-09
    #9. 163 - Connie James, 1989-90
    #10. 162 - 3 Players, MR: Jade Geif, 2013-14
    ... 154 - Jennifer Coleman, 2018-19