ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The last remaining undefeated team in the Patriot League, Navy women's basketball has its eyes focused on improving to 5-0 as it travels to Colgate University for a Kid's Day Game on Wednesday morning. Frequent combatants in the Patriot League Tournament with two postseason meetings over the past three years, the Mids (12-3, 4-0 PL) will be looking to avenge last season's tight 69-64 defeat to the Raiders (12-5, 2-2 PL) on the same Cotterell Court that ended their 2024 campaign. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

Wednesday's Navy-Colgate 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.

Navy versus Colgate
The Mids and Raiders have met 72 times in a series that began on January 15, 1992  ... All-time, Navy leads Colgate, 47-25 with a dominant 28-8 mark in games played in Annapolis, though the series is much tighter in Hamilton with just a 17-16 edge for Navy; the Mids last win at Cotterell Court was Jan. 12, 2022 by a score of 65-62 ... The two teams had not ever met prior to the Mids joining the Patriot League in 1991-92 ... Over the last ten matchups, the series leans to the Raiders 6-4.
    Last 5 Games:
    March 11, 2024 (A): Colgate 69 - Navy 64 *Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinals
    Feb. 3, 2024 (H): Navy 59 - Colgate 58 
    Jan. 6, 2024 (A): Colgate 73 - Navy 56
    Feb. 25, 2023 (A): Colgate 53 - Navy 47
    Jan. 5, 2023 (H): Colgate 64 - Navy 34

Most Recent Navy-Colgate Matchup ... March 11, 2024 in Hamilton
One of the greatest turnaround stories of the 2023-24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season came to a dramatic end on Monday night as the seventh-seeded Navy Midshipmen were unable to hold off a hard-charging second-seeded Colgate Raider team in front of a boisterous Cotterell Court crowd in the Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinals. In a game with two very different halves, the Mids (14-17) came out on fire in the first half shooting 67.9 percent and ran out to a 44-29 lead before the Raiders (18-12) methodically scratched away with 21 second half free throws and 12 second-chance points to earn the 69-64 come-from-behind victory.

Individually, Zanai Barnett-Gay led Navy with 19 points on 8-16 shooting, to go along with three rebounds and three assists. In her final collegiate game, Sydne Watts went down swinging with 18 points on 7-11 shooting and four three-pointers, as well as a team-high six rebounds. Kyah Smith gave the Mids' three double-figure scorers as she finished with 16 points and a career-high eight assists.

The game opened with both teams shooting at a blistering pace as Navy opened 5-5 from the field though Colgate countered with a 4-6 ratio to leave the score tied at 11-11 at the first media timeout of 4:58. Smith and Kate Samson led the early proceedings with nine of those points, five for Smith and four for Samson. After missing its first field goal attempt of the game, the Mids' re-engaged its scorching hot stroke with three straight baskets, including back-to-back three-pointers by Watts. With the score, 20-13 at 2:14, Navy added a point to its lead down the stretch with baskets by Samson and Smith over the final 51 seconds. As a team, the Mids shot 83.3 percent (10-12) from the field and 3-4 for three-point range.

Ahead 24-16 coming out of the quarter break, Navy kept its foot on the offensive pedal and broke out to a double-digit lead within three possessions as Watts knocked down her third three-pointer of the contest and Barnett-Gay followed up with a layup 31 seconds later. Up 11, 29-18 at 8:20, the Mids scored eight of the next 10 points to grow its advantage out to 17, 37-20 over the next three minutes. The teams traded baskets in quick succession as the lead bounced from 17-to-15 and back to 17 two more times. A single free throw by Barnett-Gay gave Navy an 18-point lead with 52 seconds before Amarah Streiff closed the half with a three-point to draw Colgate within 15 at halftime, 44-29. The Mids' hot shooting came in at 56.3 percent (9-16) in the second quarter for an overall mark of 67.9 percent (19-28) for the half. Additionally, Navy flipped Colgate's six turnovers into 10 first-half points.

The hosts began their comeback immediately as they rattled off six of the first eight points to make it a 46-35 contest by the 7:10 mark. Barnett-Gay stopped that run temporarily when Smith found her for a breakaway layup coming off a long rebound at 6:15. Unfortunately for the Mids, that was their last field goal for over five minutes as the Raiders hunkered down defensively, while countering with nine unanswered points to cut their deficit to just four points, 48-44. Four of those points came courtesy of second chances as Colgate was active on the offensive glass. Smith ended Navy's cold stretch with a second-chance basket of her own when Watts grabbed an offensive board and quickly shot Smith a pass. The Raiders made two more foul shots, their sixth and seventh of the period to close the third quarter at 50-46.

Colgate's comeback continued into the fourth as they knotted the game at 52-52, 53 seconds into the period after converting three free throws. The Raiders' tenacity on the offensive glass carried on as they took their first lead of the second half off an offensive rebound and three-point basket at 4:57. After a scoreless stretch of 2:53, another o-board and putback increased their lead to four, 57-53 with just over two minutes left in regulation. Barnett-Gay showcased what made her the 2023-24 Patriot League Rookie of the Year with five straight points, though Colgate had a response in every situation with four free throws and a second chance layup. Trailing 65-58, Navy tallied two more three-pointers, one from each of Smith and Watts, but a 4-4 showing at the foul line by the Raiders only allowed the Mids to shave two points off their final margin of 69-64.

For the game, Navy out-shot Colgate 45.0 percent (27-60) to 38.2 (21-55) from the field and 46.2 percent (6-13) to 25.0 (3-12) from three-point range. The Raiders dominated the action at the foul line with an 80.0 percent (24-30) conversion rate versus 4-10 for 40.0 percent for the Mids. The hosts went 21-25 from the charity stripe in the second half as Navy's defense held them to only nine made field goals.

The rebounding battle went the way of Colgate, 41-29. The Raiders collected 14 offensive rebounds versus seven for the Mids. Those second chance opportunities resulted in 14 points, including 12 in the second half. Watts led Navy with six rebounds.

Comparing the Teams

(2024-25 Stats)	Navy	Colgate
Record / League-Only	12-3 / 4-0 PL	12-5 / 2-2 PL
Home / Away / Neut. Record	6-3 / 5-0 / 1-0	6-1 / 6-4 / 0-0
Points Per Game	69.9 PPG	67.1 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	58.3 PPG	57.7 PPG
Field Goal Percentage	38.9 %	42.6 %
3-Point Percentage	32.9 %	34.3 %
Free Throw Percentage	65.2 %	73.8 %
Rebounds Per Game	42.7 RPG	33.5 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	14.4 / 14.3	14.6 / 12.7
Common Opponents	Delaware - W, 79-69	Delaware - L, 88-82

Individual Leaders

(2024-25 Stats)	Navy	Colgate
Points Per Game	Zanai Barnett-Gay, 19.7 ppg	Taylor Golembiewski, 12.8 ppg
Rebounds Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay, 7.3 rpg	Sophia Diehl, 5.5 rpg
Assists Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay, 3.5 apg	Anne Bair, 4.0 apg
Field Goal Percentage	Kate Samson, 49.5 %	Christina Midgette, 52.3 %
3-Point Percentage	Mary Gibbons, 42.0 %	A. Bair, 45.3 %
Free Throw Percentage	Z. Barnett-Gay, 77.6 %	T. Golembiewski, 90.0 %

Last Time Out -- Saturday vs. Loyola
With its back against the wall, the Navy women's basketball team came from behind with a gutsy 13-0 run to close out Saturday's game versus Loyola. Trailing 59-50 with just 3:22 left in regulation, the Mids (12-3, 4-0 PL) turned up their defensive intensity and offensive efficiency down the stretch forcing six turnovers by the Greyhounds (6-9, 0-4 PL), while shooting 2-3 from the field and 8-10 from the foul line to earn the 63-59 victory at Alumni Hall.

Zanai Barnett-Gay was at the forefront of Navy's performance on Saturday afternoon with a season-high 28 points on 9-17 shooting from the field, a 7-8 mark from the foul line and three three-pointers, while grabbing seven rebounds and collecting six steals over 39 minutes of action. Kyah Smith also came through in the clutch for Navy as she nailed the go-ahead basket with 35 seconds to go as part of her 10-point day.

After playing twice in 2023-24 and Loyola winning at home by three points and Navy later winning at home by two points, the fans at Alumni Hall knew Saturday was going to be a competitive 40-minute battle. The action began that way with ties of 7-7 at 6:34, 13-13 at 2:18 and finally 15-15 with 38 seconds remaining in the quarter. A three-pointer by Amandine Amorich on Loyola's last possession gave the Greyhounds an 18-15 lead after one quarter of play.

The tight back-and-forth contest continued into the second quarter where the lead changed hands three times with two ties. Neither side led by more than four points. The first four-point edge came at 5:05 when Barnett-Gay capped a 9-2 run with a three-pointer from the corner. The run consisted of earlier treys by Lizzie Holder and Toni Papahronis. With the score 30-26, Loyola scored four straight to knot the game at 30-30 with 3:36 left in the half. Back-to-back successful jumpers by Smith closed out the scoring in the second quarter as the teams retired to the locker room with Navy ahead 34-30. Loyola went scoreless for the final 3:36 of the frame as it turned the ball over four times and went 0-3 from the field.

Coming out in the second half, the Mids struggled mightily to make in-roads offensively, as they were shut out for the first 5:10 of the third quarter. During this futile stretch, the Greyhounds were only able to net eight unanswered points to grab at 38-34 lead. A crisp pass through the paint from Smith to Holder ended Navy's streak and pulled the hosts within two points. The Mids never truly got their offense in gear in the third quarter, but made enough baskets and hung tough defensively to only allow the Greyhounds to hold a 46-42 lead at the end of 30 minutes of action. Overall, Navy shot 3-10 from the field and turned the ball over seven times in its eight-point quarter of play.

Sensing a potential opening to capture its first Patriot League victory of an injury-plagued season, Loyola darted out to a 10-point lead of 56-46 by the 6:40 mark. The next time down the court, Barnett-Gay found a cutting Julianna Almeida for an athletic layup to draw the Mids back within single digits. After two minutes of the scoreboard standing still, the Greyhounds recorded points on back-to-back possessions to build their lead back to nine, 59-50 with 3:22 left in regulation. Navy's 'never quit' attitude shined over the final 3:22 of play as defensively it put Loyola in a stranglehold that saw the visitors shoot 0-3 from the field and turn the ball over six times. Energized by this dominant effort, the Mids' offense stalked down the Greyhounds with a purpose. Papahronis kick-started the run that would eventual reach 13-0 with a 2-2 showing at the foul line at 2:47. In a break that would further spark Navy, Barnett-Gay banked in a three-pointer on its next possession to make it a 59-55 game. Four free throws in quick succession by Barnett-Gay drew the Mids even, 59-59 by the 1:47 mark. Smith took over from her as she scored the go-ahead basket with 35 seconds to go before icing away the victory with two free throws with just three seconds left. Loyola was unable to record a single field goal attempt over the final 35 seconds as Papahronis, Barnett-Gay and Mary Gibbons all came up with steals during the Greyhounds' frantic comeback attempt.  

For the game, Loyola out-shot Navy, 48.0 percent (24-50) to 39.0 (23-59) from the field, though the Mids out-shot the Greyhounds from three-point range 28.6 percent (6-21) to 23.1 (3-13) and from the foul line 68.8 percent (11-16) to 50.0 (8-16).