ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After successfully navigating a two-game road trip to start the Patriot League portion of its 2024-25 schedule, the Navy women's basketball team will welcome Holy Cross on Wednesday evening for its conference home opener. In a highly anticipated matchup of two of the Patriot League's undefeated squads, the Mids (10-3, 2-0 PL) will look to knock off a Crusader (9-4, 2-0 PL) team that has swept the past two season series against them. A win by Navy on Wednesday would extend their spotless start to league play to three games, the most since the 2013-14 team opened with nine straight victories. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Alumni Hall.

Wednesday's Navy-Holy Cross 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. 

Additional Security Measures for U.S. Naval Academy
Spectators please note that the Naval Academy and NSA Annapolis are currently under increased force protection measures.  If you plan on accessing the Yard for sporting events and you do not have a Department of Defense ID to drive on to Academy grounds, you are encouraged to ride the shuttle bus from the press box side of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Fans can also park downtown and walk on via Gate 1 at the Visitors Access Center for all sporting events on the Yard. The public is NOT allowed to walk through Gate 8.

Those 18 years old and over must have a valid picture ID (state issued driver's license, student I.D., or a government issued passport). Those 17 years old and younger who do not have a valid picture ID must be accompanied by an adult.

General public visitation (visits not associated with an event) have currently been suspended.

Navy versus Holy Cross
The Mids and Crusaders have met 74 times in a series that began on January 18, 1992 … All-time, Holy Cross leads Navy, 51-23 with a 23-13 advantage in games played in Annapolis … The two teams had never met prior to the Mids joining the Patriot League in 1991-92 … The series has had multiple lengthy streaks in its history with Holy Cross winning the first eight games, followed by streaks of seven, 10 and 11 consecutive wins by the Crusaders; overall they won 36 of the first 40 games in the series (1992-2008); beginning with the 2009-10 season, Navy swung momentum in its direction with sweeps of the 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2107 and 2018 season series … Over the last 10 contests, the series edge goes to Holy Cross, 9-1 though Navy's most recent win at the Hart Center came in dramatic fashion on March 7, 2022 in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament as Jennifer Coleman banked a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer ... The Mids' last home win over the Crusaders came on January 16, 2019 (0-4 since).
    Last Five Games:
    Feb. 24, 2024 (A): Holy Cross 71 - Navy 63
    Jan. 10, 2024 (H): Holy Cross 69 - Navy 54
    Feb. 4, 2023 (H): Holy Cross 71 - Navy 52
    Jan. 2, 2023 (A): Holy Cross 53 - Navy 40
    March 7, 2022 (A): Navy 50 – Holy Cross 49  *Patriot League Quarterfinals

Most Recent Navy-Holy Cross Matchup ... February 24, 2024 in Worcester
The Navy women's basketball team fought valiantly to the end on the road at Holy Cross as it overcame a 13-point deficit in the second half to take a 59-58 lead with four minutes to go in regulation before the first-place Crusaders closed the contest on a 13-4 run as they thrived at the foul line down the stretch to win 71-63. Trailing by 10 after one quarter, the Mids (10-16, 6-9 PL) clashed against a Crusader (16-10, 10-5 PL) club and outscored the hosts in the second and fourth quarters, but eventually came up short at Hart Center.

Navy had four players reach double figures with Zanai Barnett-Gay posting a team-high 18 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and a steal over 39 minutes. Toni Papahronis ranked second with 13 points, while Kyah Smith and Sydne Watts each added 12 a piece. Watts bolstered the Mids' fourth quarter comeback effort with the first 10 points of the period.

The game opened evenly as both teams traded baskets over the first 5:40 as the scoreboard showed an 8-8 score. Four different Mids tallied field goals in this opening segment. From that juncture at 4:20, Holy Cross scored 13 of the next 16 points to break out to a 21-11 lead through one quarter. A trio of three-pointers and a 7-0 advantage in points off turnovers in favor of the Crusaders helped the hosts to that 10-point lead.

A three-pointer by Smith on Navy's first possession cut the Mids' deficit to single-digits, 21-14. The Crusaders' lead held fairly steady as it bounced between six and nine points for the next four-plus minutes until Lindsay Berger pushed Holy Cross back up by 10, 34-24 at 4:47. A 6-0 rebuttal by Navy over the ensuing 4:07 pulled the visitors within four points with just one possession to go in the half; a three-pointer by Papahronis kick-started this run. The Crusaders made their final possession extra painful for the Mids as Cara McCormack banged home her third three-pointer of the first half to send the game into the intermission, 37-30 in favor of Holy Cross.

That trey invigorated the Crusaders after the break as they recorded 11 of the first 17 points of the third quarter to break out to a 48-36 advantage by the 6:09 mark. Kate Samson kept Navy's hopes alive during this stretch as she was 2-3 with a pair of textbook postup moves for four points. Holy Cross held its double-digit lead into the third quarter break as all six of Barnett-Gay's points in the second half of the period were answered by the Crusaders.

Trailing 53-42 after three quarters of play, Navy gave up the first basket of the fourth period before Watts caught fire for the Mids and single-handedly put her squad on her back with 10 straight points. In a matter of 3:35, the senior knocked down three-pointers at 9:28 and 7:52 with a 4-4 effort at the foul line intermingled. Behind Watts' sharp-shooting, the game was quickly tightened up to a 55-52 score at 6:53. After a three-pointer by multi-year All-Patriot League performer Bronagh Power-Cassidy increased Holy Cross' lead back to six, Navy rattled off seven unanswered points starting with a driving layup by Barnett-Gay at 6:11 and five quick points by Papahronis on back-to-back possessions. An 'and-one' conversion by Papahronis at 3:59 gave the Mids their first lead since early in the first quarter. With the score 59-58 in favor of Navy, the teams traded baskets the next four times down the court as the scoreboard advanced to 63-62 at 2:26. A 9-0 run to close the game by the Crusaders, including a 7-8 effort at the foul line helped the hosts hold off the Mids' upset attempt and walk away with a 71-63 victory.

For the game, Holy Cross outshot Navy, 46.4 percent (26-56) to 41.8 (23-55) from the floor, 38.9 percent (7-18) to 29.4 (5-17) from three-point range and 85.7 percent (12-14) to 70.6 (12-17) from the foul line.

Comparing the Teams

(2024-25 Stats)	Navy	Holy Cross
Record / League-Only	9-4 / 2-0 PL	9-4 / 2-0 PL
Home / Away / Neut. Record	4-3 / 5-0 / 1-0	3-2 / 6-2 / 0-0
Points Per Game	70.6 PPG	62.3 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	58.5 PPG	59.8 PPG
Field Goal Percentage	39.1 %	41.5 %
3-Point Percentage	32.6 %	32.0 %
Free Throw Percentage	64.6 %	74.4 %
Rebounds Per Game	43.8 RPG	33.9 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	14.7 / 14.9	13.7 / 16.1
Common Opponents	American - W, 66-59	American - W, 69-61

Individual Leaders

(2024-25 Stats)	Navy	Holy Cross
Points Per Game	Zanai Barnett-Gay, 19.6 ppg	Simone Foreman, 15.6 ppg
Rebounds Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay, 7.1 rpg	S. Foreman, 7.7 rpg
Assists Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay, 3.5 apg	Kaitlyn Flanagan, 5.0 apg
Field Goal Percentage	Kate Samson, 49.5 %	Lindsay Berger, 46.7 %
3-Point Percentage	Mary Gibbons, 44.4 %	Mary-Elizabeth Donnelly, 40.0 %
Free Throw Percentage	Z. Barnett-Gay, 76.0 %	S. Foreman, 85.7 %

Last Time Out -- Sunday at Lafayette
The Navy women's basketball team continued its winning ways and posted its second Patriot League victory in as many games with a decisive 71-49 win on the road over Lafayette on Sunday afternoon. Trailing 19-14 after the first quarter, the Mids (10-3, 2-0 PL) completely flipped the scoreboard with a dominant 23-9 rebuttal in the second quarter before extending their lead over the second half of action at the Leopards' (4-9, 1-1 PL) Kirby Sports Center. 

Zanai Barnett-Gay had a hand in 16 of Navy's 28 baskets on Sunday as she led all players with 20 points on 9-16 shooting, while dishing out a game-high seven assists. She filled up the box score with six additional rebounds, three steals and a block. She was joined in double figures by three other teammates: Mary Gibbons, who scored 13 points on 4-6 shooting from three-point range, Julianna Almeida, who recorded a career-best 11 points to go along with seven rebounds and Kyah Smith, who went for 11 points, four rebounds and a game-high +19 plus-minus statistic.

The action on Sunday began with a significant Lafayette feel to it as the hosts jumped out to a 7-0 lead over the initial two minutes of the first quarter. Just as quickly as the Leopards scored their seven points, the Mids fired back with seven of their own with a three-pointer by Almeida and back-to-back baskets by Lizzie Holder coming in a run of three possessions. With the scored 7-7 at 6:44, Lafayette scored 10 of the next 14 points over the next four minutes to re-take a six-point lead, 17-11. Almeida's second three-pointer of the period cut the Mids' deficit to three points before a late Leopard field goal by Kay Donohue concluded the quarter at 19-14 in favor of Lafayette. 

Lafayette matched its biggest lead of the game on its first possession of the second quarter with a Tasha Chudy layup to make it 21-14. Down, but definitely not out, Navy had a loud rebuttal with baskets on five straight possessions, with two makes each, one a jumper and one a three-pointer, from both Almeida and Smith, to flip to score to 26-21 by 7:26. After the Leopards briefly cut it back to three, the Mids' lightning fast attack re-engaged with an 11-3 run to inflate the visitors' lead to 37-24 by 1:43. Barnett-Gay was the engine of this run with nine individual points. A pair of baskets by Lafayette tightened the score to 37-28 at halftime. The 14-point swing from the first quarter saw Navy shot 52.9 percent (9-17) from the field and 50.0 (3-6) from three-point land, while turning seven Lafayette turnovers into 13 points.

The third quarter was a roller coaster as an initial field goal by Barnett-Gay was responded to with an 8-0 run by the Leopards to help them pull within three, 39-36 at 8:09. After a timeout to re-group and adjust their game plan, the Mids countered with an 11-4 run over the next six minutes to go back up by double digits. Three-pointers by Smith and Gibbons were leading factors in Navy's success during this stretch. Ahead 50-40, the Mids extended their lead to 11 with under a minute to go before the quarter break with another Gibbons triple that made it 53-42.

Lafayette's last gasp at victory came early in the fourth quarter as Halee Smith knocked down a shot to draw the Leopards back to a single-digit deficit of nine, 53-44 at 9:17. From that juncture, the Mids sailed to their second straight conference road win with eight unanswered points, six coming from Gibbons via her three-point marksmanship. Up 61-44 at the final media timeout (4:25), Navy added four points to its final margin of victory as Morgan Demos, Barnett-Gay, Smith, Saran Moschella and Toni Papahronis all recorded field goals, while Lafayette only tallied five total points to wrap up the contest with a final score of 71-49.

For the game, Navy out-shot Lafayette from the field, 45.2 percent (28-62) to 42.0 (21-50), from three-point range, 35.7 percent (10-28) to 25.0 (3-12), and from the foul line, 62.5 percent (5-8) to 57.1 (4-7).

The Mids were extremely crisp with their ball-handling with a 17-to-9 assist-to-turnover. Barnett-Gay had a game-high seven helpers, one shy of her career-best.