ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The conclusion of non-conference play lies ahead of the Navy women's basketball team this Friday afternoon with a road contest at Morgan State. After opening up their limited non-conference slate with a trio of hard-fought losses, the Mids (0-3) will travel up the road to take on a Bears (2-0) team that has played just once in the past three weeks. Friday afternoon's game at Hill Field House will give the young Mids trip an opportunity to earn their first win under first-year head coach Tim Taylor and send them home for Christmas break with momentum. The action is scheduled for a 4 p.m. tip-off and will be streamed online via Morgan State's All-Access video channel. Following Friday's game, Navy will be off until January 2 when they begin Patriot League conference play at Bucknell University.

Navy vs. Morgan State
The Mids and Bears have met 14 times on the hardwood in a series that dates back to Feb. 18, 1979 when both teams were at the NCAA Division II level... All-time, the rivalry is tied 7-7 as Morgan State won the first four games back in 1979 (x2), 1980 and 1981 ...  Most recently, the Mids earned a 79-50 victory over the Bears on Dec. 6, 2005 in Annapolis ... The two squads have only met three times in the past 20 years (Jan. 18, 2000, Nov. 25, 2003 and Dec. 6, 2005) ... Navy is 2-2 all-time in games played in Baltimore with victories in 1983 and 1985 ... Navy has an all-time record of 31-17 against teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and has played eight of the 11 associated schools; they've faced off with Morgan State (14), Delaware State (8) and Howard (8) the most times.
    Last Five Matchups:
    Dec. 6, 2005 (Annapolis): Navy 79 - Morgan State 50
    Nov. 25, 2003 (Annapolis): Navy 80 - Morgan State 47
    Jan. 18, 2000 (Baltimore): Morgan State 80 - Navy 61
    Jan. 13, 1999 (Annapolis): Navy 56 - Morgan State 43
    Nov. 25, 1995 (Annapolis): Navy 80 - Morgan State 64

Comparing the Teams

(2020-21 Stats)	Navy	Morgan State
Record / League-Only	0-3 / 0-0 PL	2-0 / 0-0 MEAC
Home /Away Record	0-0 / 0-3	2-0 / 0-0
Points Per Game	56.0 PPG	66.0 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	65.7 PPG	57.5 PPG
Field Goal Percentage	36.8 %	47.9 %
3-Point Percentage	29.0 %	32.1 %
Free Throw Percentage	75.8 %	70.5 %
Rebounds Per Game	39.0 RPG	32.5 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	9.3 / 22.7	10.5 / 19.0

Last Time Out: Sunday, December 13 at William & Mary
Playing its first game in 11 days, the Navy women's basketball team found itself in a competitive bout with the William & Mary Tribe on Sunday afternoon at Kaplan Arena. A 10-0 run over the final minutes of the first quarter and into the second gave the hosts a lead that they would not relinquish the rest of the way. Even in most statistical categories with the Tribe, the Mids' (0-3) effort was short-circuited by 21 turnovers and 10 William & Mary (1-2) three-pointers during the game.  

For the third straight contest, team captain Sophie Gatzounas led Navy in scoring as she posted 16 points on 6-11 shooting, while adding eight rebounds and five assists in 39 minutes of action. Kolbi Green was the Mids' second-highest scorer with 11 points. Off the bench, freshman Kristina Donza netted seven points and four rebounds.

Navy started out fast with six of the game's first eight points by the 8:09 mark. The host William & Mary squad buckled down defensively and held Navy to just one field goal over the next 5:51. During that time span, the Tribe rattled off eight points to take a 10-8 lead. A basket by Sydne Watts at 2:18 was quickly followed by an Emma Krause three-pointer for William Mary at 2:04 and that concluded the scoring in the first period at 13-10. While they shot 50.0 percent (4-8) from the field, the Mids' effort in the first quarter was plagued by ball handling problems with eight turnovers.

The second stanza opened with the host Tribe scoring the first seven points to go up 20-10 before extending their hot streak out to 12-2 and a 25-12 score by 4:45. Gatzounas tried to re-invigorate the Mids' offense that was just 1-4 from the field with six turnovers over the opening six-plus minutes of the quarter. In a run of three possessions between 3:47 and 2:45, Gatzounas recorded a pair of successful free throws and a layup to draw the Mids within 11 at 27-16. That would be the margin at the half as each team made one field goal down the stretch.

Coming out of the halftime intermission, the Mids leaned on Watts early as the freshman scored the team's first four points. Unfortunately for the visitors, Watts' feat was answered by a pair of William & Mary three-pointers and the score advanced to 37-22 in favor of the Tribe. Navy didn't let that 15-point deficit last for long as the Mids held the Tribe scoreless for the next 2:53, while tallying six points of their own to make it 37-28 at 3:53. The Mids' kryptonite, the Tribe's accurate three-point marksmanship, came back as a late quarter response when William & Mary extended its lead back out to 15 points, 48-33. The Tribe shot 3-4 from the field in the final 2:41 with all three makes coming from distance.

Navy's put the clamps on William & Mary defensively as the visitors attempted their fourth quarter comeback. With the Tribe scoreless for the first 2:55, the Mids were able to shave seven points off their deficit as Morganne Andrews, Ciera Hertelendy and Donza all made baskets on consecutive possessions. With the score 48-40, William & Mary scored their only points of the first five-plus minutes with a pair of free throws at 7:05. Another field goal by Donza at the 6:08 mark helped Navy get back within single-digits, 50-42. The Tribe's only successful field goal attempt of the quarter was a Sydney Wagner layup that came at 4:12. As a team, William & Mary only shot 12.5 percent (1-8) in the fourth quarter. While Navy did a good job of controlling William & Mary from the field, the Mids were unable to draw the score closer than eight points over the final 2:56 as the hosts went 8-12 from the foul line. Gatzounas buoyed Navy's final comeback attempt with seven points in that final stretch.

For the game, William & Mary outshot Navy from the field, 39 percent (19-49) to 37 percent (18-49), while both teams shot 38 percent from three-point range, though the final tally was 10 of 26 for the Tribe and three of eight for the Mids. Both teams also made 12 free throws as Navy as 12-15 for 80 percent, while William & Mary was 12-16 for 75 percent.

Captain Takes the Lead
Sophie Gatzounas, the Mids' team captain has started out fast for Navy in 2020-21 with back-to-back games of 20 or more points, including a career-high 26 in the season opener at George Mason ... Prior to this season, she had reached the 20-point plateau in just three of her first 85 appearances ... Nationally, she ranks 47th with a 20.7 points per game average ... Additionally, she has played in 117 of a possibly 120 minutes; her 39.0 minutes per game average is 11th-best in NCAA Division I.