ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's basketball team will close out its two-game road trip to the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday evening contest against Lafayette. Just three days after playing at Lehigh, the Mids (0-15, 0-4 PL) will be taking on a Leopard (3-11, 0-4 PL) squad in a matchup of teams in search of their first conference victory. Tip-off at the Lafayette's Kirby Sports Center is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday night's contest will be streamed live via ESPN+.
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Navy versus Lafayette
The Mids and Leopards have met 79 times in a series that began on Feb. 16, 1980 ... All-time, Navy leads Lafayette, 53-26 with a slight 19-16 advantage in games played in Easton ... The Mids have been victorious at the Kirby Sports Center in seven of the last 10 meetings against the Leopards, including seven straight between 2012 and 2018; recently though, they've dropped three straight in Easton ... Over the last ten overall matchups, Navy is 5-5.
Last 5 Games:
Feb. 9, 2022 (A): Lafayette 58 - Navy 51
Jan. 8, 2022 (H): Lafayette 54 - Navy 44
Feb. 17, 2021 (H): Navy 55 - Lafayette 53
Feb. 29, 2020 (H): Lafayette 62 - Navy 59, OT
Jan. 18, 2020 (A): Lafayette 79 - Navy 52
Most Recent Navy-Lafayette Matchup -- February 9, 2022 in Easton
A record-setting 22-point, 20-rebound performance by senior standout
Jennifer Coleman wasn't enough on Wednesday night as the Navy women's basketball team was tripped up late on the road against Lafayette. Tied 51-51 with 2:35 left in regulation, the host Leopards (8-14, 4-8 PL) closed out the Mids (7-15, 4-8 PL) on a 7-0 run to earn the victory by a score of 58-51 at the Kirby Sports Center.
Coleman entered her name in the single-game record books on Wednesday night as she became the first Midshipmen since Connie James in 1990 to grab 20 or more rebounds and is now one of seven players all-time to reach that figure. In the category of defensive rebounds in a single game, Coleman's 20 defensive boards shattered the previous record of 15 set by James on Jan. 31, 1990 versus Marymount. Offensively, Coleman scored all 14 points for Navy in the first quarter on her way to 22 for the game.
Sydne Watts joined her in double-figures as she tallied 12 points in 34 minutes of action.
The action on Wednesday began with the edge going to the host Leopards as they broke out to a 11-4 lead over the first six-plus minutes. A 5-2 run to close out the quarter courtesy of a fast break layup and a three-pointer by Coleman tightened it to a 16-14 decision at the end of the first quarter. Coleman was responsible for all 14 of Navy's points as she was 6-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from three-point range. Additionally, she had seven rebounds over this stretch.
The second quarter was all Navy as the Mids opened the period on an 8-2 run that was bolstered by a pair of three-pointers. Ahead 22-18 at 6:23, Navy held Lafayette to just five more points the rest of the period. That staunch defensive effort helped invigorate the Mids' offense as they pulled out to an eight-point advantage of 31-23 going into halftime. Coleman netted 19 of those points to go along with 12 rebounds to record her 17th double-double of the season in just 20 minutes of play.
A three-pointer by Watts on Navy's third possession of the second half gave the visitors their largest lead of the game of 34-23 at the 8:28 mark of the third quarter. Unfortunately for the Mids, that basket by Watts was followed up by just one made field goal for the next 7:58. With Navy's offense in a lull, Lafayette was able to run off an 18-3 streak to pull ahead 41-37 with 58 seconds to go in the third quarter. A late jump shot by
Kristina Donza with 30 seconds left drew the Mids within two, 41-39 at the end of three quarters of play. As a team, Navy shot just 3-of-16 from the field in the stanza.
Down, but not out, the Mids tied the Leopards less than three minutes into the fourth quarter as
Mimi Schrader recorded an individual 5-0 run to even the score at 44-44 by 7:32. A 5-0 rebuttal by Lafayette over the next 85 seconds put the hosts back in front until a 7-2 run by Navy between 4:16 and 2:35 knotted the game once again. Getting out in-transition after a steal and then a long rebound helped the Mids net four easy points before Watts tied the score at 51-51 with a three-pointer from the wing. From that juncture down the stretch, Lafayette scored the final seven points to register the 58-51 win.
For the game, Lafayette outshot Navy, 35.9 percent (23-64) to 33.9 (19-56) from the field, though the Mids outshot the Leopards, 34.8 percent (8-23) to 26.7 (8-30) from three-point range and 62.5 percent (5-8) to 44.4 percent (4-9).
Comparing the Teams
| (2022-23 Stats) |
Navy |
Lafayette |
| Record / League-Only |
0-15 / 0-4 PL |
3-11 / 0-4 PL |
| Home /Away Record |
0-8 / 0-7 |
2-3 / 1-8 |
| Points Per Game |
51.7 PPG |
52.9 PPG |
| Points Allowed Per Game |
71.3 PPG |
63.5 PPG |
| Field Goal Percentage |
35.4 % |
37.2 % |
| 3-Point Percentage |
29.4 % |
25.4 % |
| Free Throw Percentage |
60.7 % |
62.7 % |
| Rebounds Per Game |
37.5 RPG |
32.4 RPG |
| Assists/Turnovers Per Game |
10.9 / 19.1 |
10.9 / 16.0 |
Individual Leaders
| (2022-23 Stats) |
Navy |
Lafayette |
| Points Per Game |
Watts, 14.2 ppg |
M. Andrews, 13.1 ppg |
| Rebounds Per Game |
Samson, 5.0 rpg |
K. Drummond, 6.7 rpg |
| Assists Per Game |
Schrader, 2.8 apg |
J. Booth, 3.9 apg |
| Field Goal Percentage |
Samson, 45.9 % |
K. Drummond, 59.0 % |
| 3-Point Percentage |
Louridas, 31.0 % |
S. Ntaconayigize, 33.3 % |
| Free Throw Percentage |
Watts, 79.5 % |
H. Smith, 75.0 % |
Last Time Out: Sunday, January 8 vs. Lehigh
A lights-out shooting performance by the host Lehigh Mountain Hawks in the first quarter on Sunday put the Navy women's basketball team in a large deficit that it was unable to overcome during the ensuing 30 minutes of action. The Mountain Hawks (7-8, 3-1 PL) started the game at Stabler Arena with a 10-of-12 showing from three-point range on their way to a 32-5 advantage over the Mids (0-15, 0-4 PL) through one quarter of play. The teams were more evenly matched over the final three quarters as Lehigh was just eight points better than Navy. The final score of the Patriot League contest was 77-42.
Maren Louridas was at the forefront of the Mids' offensive effort as she finished with a game-high 15 points, including three three-pointers and seven rebounds. Fellow freshman Kate Samson provided strong back-up with 11 points and eight rebounds.
The host Mountain Hawks were on fire from the start on Sunday afternoon as they hit three straight three-pointers to open the contest. A drive-and-dish from Louridas to Morganne Andrews at 7:27 stopped that initial scoring run. Lehigh had an immediate rebuttal as next time down the court it dialed up another three-pointer to go up 12-2. That Ella Stemmer trey kick-started a 14-0 run that consisted of four more three-pointers. A driving layup by Mimi Schrader got Navy back in the scoring column at 3:48. The lights-out shooting from three-point range carried the Mountain Hawks down the stretch as they sank three more triples to make it 32-5 through 10 minutes of action. As a team, Lehigh was 10-12 from three-point range and just 1-7 from inside the arc.
Navy and Lehigh played a near-even next 20 minutes as the Mountain Hawks edged the Mids by just two points in the second quarter, 15-13 before both teams registered 16 points in the third stanza. After Lehigh extended its lead out to 39-7 at the 7:20 mark of the second quarter, Navy responded with an 11-2 run from 6:48 to 3:28 on the strength of three three-pointers, two from Louridas and the third by Sydne Watts.
Trailing 47-18 at the half, the third quarter saw the teams trade scoring opportunities early as Lehigh added eight points to their side of the ledger, while Navy countered with seven. Active all day on the glass, Gia Pissott entered her name in the scoring column as Samson found her wide open at the basket after the Mountain Hawks collapsed on her with a double-team at 5:49 to make it 55-27. The Mids' freshmen class continued finding success in the third quarter as Samson and Louridas scored five of the team's final seven points in the period.
With the score 63-34 through three quarters of play, Louridas continued her double-digit scoring effort with an early three-pointer at 8:01 to make it 65-37. After a three-point response by Lehigh on its next possession, the game stayed in the 30-point range for the remainder of the contest.
In the 77-42 victory, Lehigh outshot Navy, 44.4 percent (28-63) to 25.8 (17-66) from the field, 48.1 percent (13-27) to 16.7 (4-24) from three-point range and 100.0 percent (8-8) to 57.1 (4-7) from the foul line.
