ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy heads out on the road for the first of two games away from Annapolis this week with a Wednesday night tilt in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania versus the Bucknell Bison. The Mids (7-15, 2-9 PL) will be going head-to-head versus a Bison (16-6, 9-2 PL) team that is first in the Patriot League with a 9-2 mark and 8-1 when playing at home this season. Wednesday's contest is the second between Navy and Bucknell this season as the Bison defeated the Mids on January 8 in Annapolis. The action at Sojka Pavilion is set for a 6 p.m. tip-off with all of the action airing live online via the Patriot League Network.

Last Time Out
Navy found itself in a physical 40-minute contest with Colgate on Saturday afternoon in Annapolis. Taking on the highest scoring team in the Patriot League the Mids trailed by 20 at the half before outscoring the Raiders by 11 in the third quarter to get right back into the thick of the game. The Mids continued showing the fighting spirit in the fourth quarter, but that substantial halftime lead was too much to overcame as the visitors walked off the court at Alumni Hall with a 65-53 victory.

Navy was led by a well-rounded offensive effort as four players recorded 10 or more points, the first time all season that four Mids had posted totals in double figures. Mary Kate Ulasewicz had a team-high 12 points, while Montana Braxton had career-bests with 11 points and nine rebounds. Both Lindsay Llewellyn and Sophie Gatzounas finished with 10 points. Gatzounas added to her line with nine rebounds.

Trailing earlier 4-0, the Mids fought back and evened the game by the 7:48 mark before extending their scoring streak to 10-0 over a span of 4:09. Ulasewicz and Gatzounas each tallied four points during this stretch. Navy was stuck at that 10-point plateau for over three-and-a-half minutes heading down to 2:25. Colgate was able to take advantage of this cold streak and evened the game at 10-10. Two successful free throws by Nyah Garrison helped the Mids get back in the scoring column and go ahead briefly 12-10. The Raiders scored the final seven points of the stanza to take a 17-12 lead into the first quarter break.

Colgate continued holding Navy's offense at bay for the first 2:33 of the second quarter until Braxton fought through the lane for an offensive rebound and quick putback to make it a 19-14 game in favor of the Raiders. After Colgate expanded its lead out to 13 points, Braxton and Ulasewicz netted consecutive baskets to tighten it to 11, 29-18 by the 4:21 mark. Unfortunately for the Mids they were stricken with another long scoreless drought as the Raiders netted the final nine points of the quarter.

Coming out of the halftime intermission down 38-18, Navy scored the first five points of the third quarter, all coming from Llewellyn in a matter of 1:44. The teams alternated field goals for the next four minutes with Colgate taking a lead of 17 only to see Navy come right back and cut its deficit to 15. The Mids' offense continued clicking in the second half of the quarter. With the score 44-29 and 4:41 remaining in the period, Navy tallied 11 more points, while Colgate countered with five to make it a 49-40 game through the conclusion of the third quarter. Navy shot 64.3 percent (9-14) from the field and 80.0 percent (4-5) from the foul line as the Mids outscored the Raiders, 22-11 in the stanza.

Navy tried valiantly to keep shaving points off its deficit as the fourth quarter opened with the Mids scoring five of the first nine points to trail by just eight, 53-45. Llewellyn put the exclamation mark on this small run with a three-pointer at 8:17. This would be as close as Navy would get for the rest of regulation as Colgate built its lead back out to double digits on the next possession. While the Mids found some success on offense, the Raiders always had an answer down the stretch as they held on for the 65-53 victory.

For the game, Colgate outshot Navy, 37.7 percent (23-61) to 33.9 (21-62) from the field and 33.3 percent (5-15) to 5.6 (1-18) from three-point range. The Mids were successful from the foul line at an 83.3 percent (10-12) clip versus a 77.8 (14-18) mark for the Raiders.

Navy versus Bucknell
The Mids and Bison have met 69 times in a series that began on December 5, 1981 ... The series is dotted with multiple lengthy streaks of wins and losses; overall Bucknell leads Navy 40-29 ... Over 22 games played in Lewisburg the series leans towards Bucknell, 22-10 ... During the 39 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)  ... Over the last ten matchups, Bucknell is 9-1 versus Navy.
    Last 5 Games
    Jan. 8, 2020 (H): Bucknell 61 - Navy 34
    Feb. 27, 2019 (A): Bucknell 90 - Navy 48
    Jan. 30, 2019 (H): Bucknell 77 - Navy 43
    March 8, 2018 (A): Navy 68 - Bucknell 62 *Patriot League Semifinals
    Feb. 21, 2018 (H): Bucknell 49 - Navy 40

Most Recent Matchup ~ January 8, 2020 in Annapolis
Navy dropped a home Patriot League conference contest to Bucknell by a score of 61-34 on Wednesday night. Playing the reigning Patriot League champions, the Mids knew that they would be up for a stern test at Alumni Hall. On the strength of a 20-4 second quarter effort, the Bison rolled to the victory over the Midshipmen to stay undefeated in league play. Sophie Gatzounas and Mary Kate Ulasewicz led Navy's individual production on Wednesday as Gatzounas netted nine points, while Ulasewicz was one back with eight. Gatzounas also added a team-high five rebounds on the night.

The Mids opened the action on Wednesday night with seven early points over the first 3:03 of the quarter. Gatzounas put the exclamation point on this offensive streak with a three-pointer from the corner after Ulasewicz served her a quick one-touch pass from deep in the post. With the score 7-3 in favor of the Mids, the visiting Bison countered with an 8-0 run over the next 5:26 to go up 11-7. Ulasewicz ended that run with an athletic drive through the lane for a lay-up at 1:31. Bucknell netted the final four points of the period to take a 15-9 lead into the quarter break.

The Bison expanded that 4-0 streak out to a 17-0 run with 13 unanswered points and a 5-5 shooting start from the field during the first six-plus minutes of the second quarter. The combination of a Montana Braxton entry pass and a Ciera Hertelendy layup quelled the run and made it a 28-11 game at the 3:52 mark. Bucknell closed out its dominant second quarter with seven of the final nine points. Gatzounas recorded the Mids' basket to give her seven points for the first half. Overall, the Bison shot 7-10 from the field in the quarter.

Coming out of the locker room with the score 35-13, the Mids registered the first basket of the second half as Ulasewicz drove the baseline and flipped a layup towards the hoop for her fourth point of the contest at 8:48. Trailing 41-16, Navy's offense gained some traction with six points over a span 1:23 to cut its deficit to 43-22 by the 3:24 mark. Jasmine Bishop's second field goal of the quarter at 1:36 to make it a 48-24 contest. The final four points of the frame were scored by Bucknell. The Bison continued to control the contest throughout the fourth quarter as they held their lead between 24 and 28 points over the final 10 minutes. Both Ulasewicz and Nyah Garrison added four points for the Mids in the fourth quarter.

For the game, Bucknell outshot Navy, 52.3 percent (23-44) to 27.9 (12-43) from the field, 38.5 percent (5-13) to 18.2 (2-11) from three-point territory and 90.9 percent (10-11) to 40.0 (8-20) from the foul line.

Comparing the Teams

(2019-20 Stats)	Navy	Bucknell
Record / PL	7-15 / 2-9 PL	16-6 / 9-2 PL
Home / Away / Neut. Record	6-6 / 1-9	8-1 / 6-5 / 2-0
Points Per Game	52.6 PPG	63.3 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	58.8 PPG	52.7 PPG
Field Goal Percentage	35.4 %	42.9 %
3-Point Percentage	27.5 %	37.0 %
Free Throw Percentage	61.5 %	76.3 %
Rebounds Per Game	34.2 RPG	32.8 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	12.0 / 14.8	12.1 / 12.3

Individual Leaders

(2019-20 Stats)	Navy	Bucknell
Points Per Game	Ulasewicz, 8.6 PPG	E. Mack, 15.1 PPG
Rebounds Per Game	Taylor, 5.3 RPG	E. Mack, 7.2 RPG
Assists Per Game	Ulasewicz, 3.2 APG	M. Walls, 2.9 APG
Field Goal Percentage	Gatzounas, 45.9 %	E. Mack, 52.4 %
3-Point Percentage	Ulasewicz, 28.0 %	E. Mack, 42.5 %
Free Throw Percentage	Ulasewicz, 74.1 %	T. Brugler, 81.7 %