ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's basketball team will head out for its final road trip of the calendar year this weekend for a Saturday matinee tilt at Longwood University. Winners of five straight games to begin their 2024-25 campaign by a dominant 24.0 points per game margin, the Mids (5-0) will take on the Lancers (4-2) for the first time since 1991 when both programs were in Division II. The matchup between Navy and Longwood will mark the final regular season non-conference road game for the Mids this season before they embark on a five game homestand in the lead-up to Patriot League play in January. Tip-off for Saturday's game in Farmville, Virginia is set for 1 p.m. at the Joan Perry Brock Center.

The Navy-Longwood 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 iHeart and Audacy platforms. 

Navy vs. Longwood / Big South Conference
The Mids and Lancers haven't met on the hardwood in a women's basketball contest in 33 years as the most recent matchup came in Annapolis on Feb. 25, 1991 in a game that Navy won 74-62 ... Over 11 all-time meetings, Navy is 9-2 with a perfect 7-0 mark in games played in Annapolis to go along with a 2-1 road record and a single loss at a neutral site; the 1990 West Chester Dial Classic ... The last game in Farmville was Feb. 3, 1991; the Mids won by 11, 84-73 ... Of note, Navy and Longwood met four times during the 1990-91 season with two non-conference tournament matchups and two regular season ... All 11 of those matchups occurred at the Division II level ... Saturday will be the 30th showdown for Navy versus a Big South Conference foe; all-time, the Mids are 21-8 (9-2 vs. Longwood; 4-0 vs. Charleston Southern; 4-3 vs. Radford; 2-2 vs. High Point and 2-1 vs. Winthrop)
    Last Five Meetings vs. Longwood
    Feb. 25, 1991 (H): Navy 74 - Longwood 62
    Feb. 3, 1991 (A): Navy 84 - Longwood 73
    Jan. 12, 1991 (H): Navy 75 - Longwood 69 ** Navy Classic
    Dec. 2, 1990 (N): Longwood 74 - Navy 70 ** West Chester Dial Classic; West Chester, Pa.
    Feb. 28, 1990 (H): Navy 92 - Longwood 75  

Comparing the Teams

(2024-25 Stats)	Navy	Longwood
Record / League-Only	5-0 / 0-0 PL	4-2 / 0-0 Big South
Home / Away / Neut. Record	2-0 / 2-0 / 1-0	2-0 / 2-2
Points Per Game	77.8 PPG	74.7 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	53.8 PPG	56.2 PPG
Field Goal Percentage	42.5 %	41.2 %
3-Point Percentage	37.0 %	32.1 %
Free Throw Percentage	68.0 %	69.1 %
Rebounds Per Game	43.2 RPG	43.0 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	17.2 / 16.0	15.8 / 20.2

Returning Leaders

(2023-24 Stats)	Navy	Longwood
Points Per Game	Zanai Barnett-Gay, 15.8 ppg	Frances Ulysse, 10.5 ppg
Rebounds Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay, 5.6 rpg	Otaifo Esenabhalu, 9.0 rpg
Assists Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay, 3.4 apg	Malea Brown, 3.2 apg
Field Goal Percentage	Kate Samson, 48.6 %	F. Ulysse, 52.3 %
3-Point Percentage	Mary Gibbons, 54.5 %	Mariah Wilson, 40.9 %
Free Throw Percentage	Z. Barnett-Gay, 79.5 %	F. Ulysse, 81.0 %

Last Time Out -- Sunday vs. Radford at Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.
Navy extended its undefeated streak to start the 2024-25 season to 5-0 with a back-and-forth 45-minute battle versus Radford on Sunday afternoon. Taking on the Highlanders (1-4) in a neutral site contest at Colonial Hall on the grounds of the historic Greenbrier Resort in southeast West Virginia, the Mids (5-0) overcame a roller coaster afternoon of action to walk away with a 78-73 overtime victory.

Navy's fourth different leading scorer in five wins, Kyah Smith was a constant presence for the Mids as she netted five or more points in four of five periods on Sunday on her way to a career-best 26. The sophomore guard was especially dangerous from three-point range as she shot 5-of-7 from distance during her 37 minutes off the bench. Her classmate Zanai Barnett-Gay had to tight-rope her way around foul trouble for the majority of the game, but persevered to the tune of 22 points and five assists over 31 minutes. Barnett-Gay entered her name in Navy's record book with a 16-of-17 showing at the foul line; 16 makes are the fourth-best all-time for a single-game. Mary Gibbons rounded out Navy's leading scorers as she registered 13 points.

The action on Sunday opened with a significant Radford flavor to it as the Highlanders made five of their first six shots to sprint out to a 12-5 lead by the 5:18 mark of the first quarter. Coming out of a called timeout, the Mids turned in a methodical 8-0 run over the next 3:41. Barnett-Gay kickstarted the run with a jumper and later a free throw before Smith took the baton and netted the next five points. Defensively, Navy held Radford to 0-3 shooting with three turnovers during this span. With the score 13-12, the Highlanders beat the buzzer with a layup on their final possession to make it 14-13 after one quarter of play.

The game stayed within one possession for the next seven-plus minutes as Radford held the lead for the majority of the time, though Navy pulled even six times, but never ahead. Highlights for this stretch of the action, included a three-pointer by Lizzie Holder at 8:25 and six points from Barnett-Gay. Knotted at 30-30 at 2:43, back-to-back three-pointers by Gibbons and Smith, and a third by Toni Papahronis helped the Mids take a 39-32 lead into the halftime intermission.

Unfortunately, that hot conclusion to the first half did not immediately carry over into the third quarter as Navy was mired in a 0-9 start from the field with eight turnovers to begin play. That extended slump allowed Radford to re-take the lead 42-39. Four consecutive points from Gibbons put an end to the Mids' woes as they drew even at 43-43 by the 2:13 mark. Each team added a field goal over the final two minutes of play to make it 46-45 Radford after three quarters.

The back-and-forth struggle continued into the fourth quarter with neither team giving an inch. Smith twice put Navy ahead during the first five minutes as she sank a jumper at 9:23 to make it 47-46 before knocking home a three-pointer at 6:29 to make it 50-49. During the next three-plus minutes, a 5-for-5 showing at the foul line by Barnett-Gay bolstered the Mids' lead up to six, 57-51 at 3:13. After five unanswered points by the Highlanders, two more free throws from Barnett-Gay tallied Navy's final points of regulation as it went up 59-56 with 2:02 to go. Radford's Kirah Dandridge knotted the game with a three-pointer with 23 seconds to go to eventually force overtime.

In a trend that is quickly emerging in 2024-25, Navy showcased a new level of composure and ability to move onto the next task at hand during the overtime period. Starting back with a tied score, the Mids immediately bolted out to a six-point lead, 65-59 on the strength of consecutive three-pointers by Smith and Gibbons over their first two possessions. The Highlanders had an equally strong retort with three straight layups between 3:07 and 2:13. The three-ball was valuable once again for Navy as Smith sank her third trey of the game to give her squad a 69-65 lead with 1:14 remaining. Radford was never able to recover from that blow as it trailed for the rest of the contest due to excellent foul shooting from the Mids as they went 9-10 from the line to close out the 78-73 victory.