ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's basketball team will continue is run of home non-conference action on Thursday evening when it welcomes Maryland Eastern Shore into town. Coming off of an 84-point output on Sunday, the Mids (0-7) will be looking to put together a complete game and fight their way into the win column versus a Hawks (2-6) team that won at home on Tuesday night versus Virginia Union. Navy and Eastern Shore faced off last season in Princess Anne, Maryland and played a competitive 40-minute game that saw the Hawks eek out a five-point victory. The contest on Thursday has a scheduled 7 p.m. tip-off at Navy's Alumni Hall.

The Navy-Maryland Eastern Shore game will have live stats provided online, as well as be broadcast on the ESPN+ platform. ESPN+ is a subscription-based streaming service that requires patrons to sign-up for monthly or yearly plans prior to tuning into the contest. An audio-only portion of the contests will also be available via WNAV: over the radio waves on 99.9 FM or 1430 AM, online at WNAV.com or through the Audacy platform.

Scouting the Competition
Maryland Eastern Shore
The Hawks come into Thursday's game with a 2-6 record ... Both of Eastern Shore's victories this season have come versus non-DI opponents as the team has defeated Washington College-D3 (Nov. 12, 76-50) and Virginia Union-D2 (Nov. 29, 76-60) ... Most recently, the Hawks knocked off Virginia Union behind 36 combined points from Ariana Seawell (19 pts) and Ja'la Bannerman (17 pts). Eastern Shore grabbed a 17-12 lead at the end of the first quarter and never trailed over the final three periods. For the game, the Hawks shot 37.1 percent (26-70) from the field and 19.0 percent (4-21) from three-point range ... In the 2022-23 MEAC preseason poll, Eastern Shore was picked to finish fifth in the conference. Of note in that same announcement, junior guard Zamara Haynes was voted to the All-MEAC Preseason Second Team.

Navy vs. Maryland Eastern Shore
The Mids and Hawks have met eight times on the hardwood in a series that dates back to Feb. 1, 1978 ... That matchup was just the eighth ever for Navy as a varsity basketball program and the Mids came away with a 73-58 victory ... The first six meetings between Navy and Eastern Shore came at the NCAA Division II level with the Mids winning five of those six contests ... The two most recent matchups at the DI level (2001 and 2021) were split and the Mids hold a 6-2 all-time lead in the series ... In contests in Annapolis, Navy is undefeated at 6-0 ... All-time, the Mids are 27-18 against teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and has played seven of the eight associated schools; they've faced off with Morgan State (16), Eastern Shore (8), Delaware State (8) and Howard (8) the most times.
    Last Five Matchups:
    Dec. 5, 2021 (Princess Anne): Eastern Shore 66 - Navy 61
    Dec. 19, 2001 (Annapolis): Navy 67 - Eastern Shore 54 (Navy Classic)
    Dec. 9, 1991 (Annapolis): Navy 63 - Eastern Shore 55
    Nov. 29, 1990 (Princess Anne): Eastern Shore 62 - Navy 60
    Feb. 16, 1982 (Annapolis): Navy 72 - Eastern Shore 51  

Comparing the Teams

(2022-23 Stats)	Navy	Eastern Shore
Record / League-Only	0-7 / 0-0 PL	2-6 / 0-0 MEAC
Home /Away Record	0-4 / 0-3	2-2 / 0-4
Points Per Game	59.0 PPG	59.0 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	79.1 PPG	68.4 PPG
Field Goal Percentage	40.6 %	35.4 %
3-Point Percentage	32.3 %	19.7 %
Free Throw Percentage	71.6 %	69.6 %
Rebounds Per Game	35.0 RPG	36.6 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	11.3 / 21.1	8.6 / 20.1

Individual Leaders

(2022-23 Stats)	Navy	Eastern Shore
Points Per Game	Watts, 17.1 ppg	Z. Haynes, 11.9 ppg
Rebounds Per Game	Samson, 5.0 rpg	A. Seawell, 5.5 rpg
Assists Per Game	Schrader, 2.7 apg	M. Thomas, 2.1 apg
Field Goal Percentage	Samson, 54.5 %	A. Seawell, 64.4 %
3-Point Percentage	Louridas, 39.2 %	J. Bannerman, 33.3 %
Free Throw Percentage	Watts, 96.2 %	M. Thomas, 94.1 %

Last Time Out: Sunday vs. Idaho
Playing its second game in two days, the Navy women's basketball team had a performance for the record books on Sunday afternoon in an exciting 90-84 contest that went the way of Idaho. The Mids (0-7) scored early and often against the Vandals (1-3) and were tied 75-75 with three minutes to go in regulation before the visitors rode their star player Beyonce Bea down the stretch and held on for a 90-84 victory at Alumni Hall in day two of the 2022 Navy Classic.

Sydne Watts was locked in from the start for Navy and tallied 12 points in the first quarter and 19 by halftime. Clutch in the second half as well, Watts finished with a career-high 33 points on 11 made field goals, including four three-pointers and a seven-for-seven showing at the foul line. Her 33 points in a game tied Carly Meyer (Feb. 13, 2007) and Angela Dobbs (Jan. 4, 1992) for the ninth-most points in a single contest in program history. The freshmen duo of Maren Louridas and Kate Samson provided strong back-up for Watts as Louridas scored 20 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists, while Samson went eight-of-ten from the field for a career-best 16 points. Additionally, Samson grabbed seven rebounds and recorded five assists.

As a team, Navy's 84-point output is the highest since Dec. 10, 2017 when the team scored 87 points against New Mexico in overtime. The program's best recent regulation scoring effort versus a DI opponent was 86 points at home against St. Bonaventure on Nov. 26, 2017.

The action at Alumni Hall opening fairly even as Idaho held just a four-point lead, 23-19, over Navy at the end of the first quarter. Watts was the game's leading scorer in the first period with 12 of Navy's points. Louridas took the scoring baton for Navy in the second quarter as she netted seven of the Mids' first nine points over the first 3:37 of the stanza. While the freshmen guard was lighting up the scoreboard, Idaho stayed in stride as the score advanced to 32-28 during that stretch. Baskets by Watts, a three-pointer at 4:32 and a fadeaway jumper at 2:00, twice pulled the hosts within three points at 34-31 and 38-35. An exchange of field goals in the last 72 seconds made it a 41-37 game at halftime in favor of the Vandals.

Samson entered the forefront of the scoring conversation in the third quarter as the freshman center started out the period a perfect three-for-three from the field to knot the game at 43-43 by the 7:55 mark. Invigorated by the early prosperity, Navy hit back-to-back three-pointers on consecutive possessions with Watts hitting at 6:53 and Louridas following her up at 6:20. With the score 49-43, Idaho fought back with a 9-3 run over the ensuing 2:14. Tied again at 52-52, Watts and Samson combined to score the Mids' final seven points of the quarter to help the hosts hold a slight 59-57 edge after 30 minutes of action.

The offensive action hit another gear in the fourth quarter as the teams combined for 58 points. A quick jumper by Idaho's Beyonce Bea 11 seconds into the final stanza knotted the game at 59-59. Exchanges of baskets over the next 2:11 advanced the scoreboard to 66-66. The Vandals were able to re-take the lead with a brief 8-3 run. With the score 74-69 at 4:04, the Mids' talented freshmen class fought to re-tie their opponents over the next three possessions as Gia Pissott, Samson and Louridas all made shots. From that point in the contest at 75-75, Idaho registered 10 of the next 14 points to pull ahead 85-79. Watts' 11th made field goal of the game with 32 seconds remaining brought the score to 85-81. After a 1-2 showing at the foul line by Idaho's Tiana Johnson, the newly-inserted Sam Schofield left her mark with a clutch three-pointer from the corner to draw Navy back to just a two-point deficit with 22 seconds left. Unfortunately for the Mids, four straight made free throws by the Vandals closed out the showdown at 90-84.

For the game, Navy outshot Idaho, 52.4 percent (33-63) to 45.9 (28-61) from the field and 47.6 percent (10-21) to 31.0 (9-29) from three-point range. The Vandals took advantage of their substantial difference in free throw attempts with a 78.1 percent shooting mark on 25-of-32 chances. The Mids were also efficient at the foul line with a 72.7 percent (8-11) mark.

Parking / Shuttle
Fans are reminded that the general public does not have access to drive their vehicles on to the U.S. Naval Academy. Fans may park at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for a fee and take a shuttle that will run every 10 minutes starting one hour before the game and will continue running until one hour after the game is completed. Fans 18 and over need a government-issued photo ID. Enter Gate 5 off Taylor Ave. to park at the stadium.