ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's basketball team will have an extremely quick turnaround as less than 48 hours after beginning its 2023-24 campaign with a victory over Susquehanna the Mids will travel to State College and take on the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference on Friday. Already a stiff task due to the briskness of the turnaround, the Mids (1-0) will be going up against a Nittany Lions (1-0) club that defeated Bucknell by 43 points on Tuesday, though the Mids also have a 40-plus point win to their name courtesy of a 78-37 victory on Wednesday night. A youthful team with 12 underclassmen, Navy will be facing off with a Penn State roster that is loaded with experience, including nine transfers, four fifth-year players and only three true underclassmen. The action at Bryce Jordan Arena is scheduled for a 5 p.m. and will be the first contest in a women's/men's doubleheader as the Penn State men will welcome Lehigh for a 7:30 p.m. bout.

The Navy-Penn State game will have live stats provided online, as well as be broadcast on the BigTen+ platform. B10+ is a subscription-based streaming service that requires patrons to sign-up for monthly or yearly plans prior to tuning into the contest.

Navy vs. Penn State / Big Ten / Power 5 Conferences
Friday's meeting will be the first-ever between the Mids and Nittany Lions on the hardwood for women's basketball ... All-time, the Navy women's team has only gone head-to-head against Big 10 foes twice before as the Mids traveled to Minnesota (L, 62-55) on Nov. 24, 2013 for a non-conference tilt two years after facing off with Maryland on March 17, 2011 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (L, 59-44) ... Widening the scope of Navy's all-time record against Power 5 schools (ACC, Big10, Big12, Pac-12 and SEC), the program is 3-22 with victories over Clemson (Nov. 9, 2019; 65-52), Ole Miss (Dec. 20, 1998; 74-71) and Baylor (Jan. 1, 1993; 81-71).

Last 10 Power-5 Meetings:
    Nov. 11, 2019 (A): North Carolina 80 - Navy 40
    Nov. 9, 2019 (A): Navy 65 - Clemson 52
    Dec. 9, 2018 (A): Colorado 59 - Navy 43
    March 16, 2018 (A): Virginia Tech 56 - Navy 55   *WNIT First Round
    March 19, 2017 (A): Virginia Tech 75 - Navy 64   *WNIT Second Round
    Nov. 26, 2016 (@ Nevada): Arkansas 70 - Navy 67
    Nov. 13, 2016 (A): Tennessee 85 - Navy 55
    Nov. 11, 2016 (A): Wake Forest 75 - Navy 65
    Dec. 13, 2015 (A): Kansas 61 - Navy 54 (OT)
    Dec. 6, 2014 (A): Oregon 72 - Navy 64
**B10** Nov. 24, 2013 (A): Minnesota 62 - Navy 55
**B10** March 17, 2011 (A): Maryland 59 - Navy 44   *NCAA First Round

Comparing the Teams

(2022-23 Stats)	Navy	Penn State
Record / League-Only	1-29, 1-17 PL	14-17, 4-14 Big 10
Home /Away Record	1-14 / 0-15	11-6 / 0-10 / 3-1
Points Per Game	52.8 PPG	70.8 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	69.6 PPG	72.1PPG
Field Goal Percentage	36.0 %	42.6 %
3-Point Percentage	28.4 %	33.2 %
Free Throw Percentage	60.8 %	69.6 %
Rebounds Per Game	36.4 RPG	34.6 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	10.8 / 17.6	15.1 / 16.8

Returning Leaders

(2022-23 Stats)	Navy	Penn State
Points Per Game	Sydne Watts, 12.7 ppg	Makenna Marisa, 17.5 ppg
Rebounds Per Game	Morganne Andrews, 6.6 rpg	Leilani Kapinus, 6.7 rpg
Assists Per Game	Maren Louridas, 2.2 apg	M. Marisa, 4.2 apg
Field Goal Percentage	M. Andrews, 44.6 %	Chanaya Pinto, 45.0 %
3-Point Percentage	Sam Schofield, 35.4 %	Shay Ciezki, 41.6 %
Free Throw Percentage	S. Watts, 77.4 %	M. Marisa, 76.3 %

Navy in Road Season Openers
Over the past 10 road season openers, Navy is 3-7 with wins over Clemson ('19), Marist ('17) and Towson ('13). Frequently on the road to start the season, the Mids have been on the road in seven of the last 10 overall season openers. Navy's win over Clemson was just the third-ever against a Power 5 school and first versus an ACC foe.
    Last 10 Road Openers
    November 7, 2022: William & Mary 79 - Navy 64
    November 12, 2021: Monmouth 57 - Navy 46
    November 29, 2020: George Mason 72 - Navy 68    
    November 9, 2019: Navy 65 - Clemson 52
    November 18, 2018: Norfolk State 65 - Navy 58
    November 10, 2017: Navy 77 - Marist 70
    November 11, 2016: Wake Forest 75 - Navy 65
    November 13, 2015: Hofstra 65 - Navy 63
    November 14, 2014: North Carolina A&T 52 - Navy 47
    November 8, 2013: Navy 56 - Towson 55

Last Time Out - Wednesday, November 9 in Annapolis vs. Susquehanna
 The Navy women's basketball team opened its 2023-24 season with an emphatic 78-37 victory over Susquehanna on Wednesday night. Continuing its youth movement, the Mids (1-0) received points from all 13 players that saw action at Alumni Hall, including 10 underclassmen. A 19-3 effort in the second quarter and a 50.0 percent shooting mark in the fourth period led the hosts to the 41-point margin of victory over the River Hawks.

The freshmen starting backcourt of Zanai Barnett-Gay and Kyah Smith spearheaded the Mids' attack and combined for 29 points, 17 rebounds, eight steals and six assists. Individually, Barnett-Gay recorded a double-double in her collegiate debut as she went for game-highs of 18 points, 11 rebounds and five steals with Smith going for 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sydne Watts represented Navy's veterans with 12 points, five rebounds and a block.

Though not reaching double figures, Maren Louridas and Violet McNece provided well-rounded efforts of their own as Louridas posted a line of nine points, eight rebounds and six assists, while McNece found success beyond the arc with eight points courtesy of a pair of three-pointers to go along with six rebounds in just 19 minutes of action.

For the game, Navy out-shot Susquehanna, 41.9 percent (31-74) to 24.0 (12-50) from the field and 37.5 percent (9-24) to 11.8 (2-17) from three-point range. Neither squad had much success from the charity stripe as the River Hawks shot just 64.7 percent (11-17) versus a 46.7 (7-15) mark for the Mids.

In the battle on the glass, Navy was dominant with a 56-32 advantage in total rebounds and a 21-7 edge in offensive caroms. Led by Barnett-Gay's game-high 11 boards, six different Mids grabbed five or more rebounds on Wednesday night.

The Mids were prolific as well in the play-making department as the team finished with 19 assists on its 31 made baskets. Louridas was the individual leader with six helpers.