ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The fans in Annapolis will get the chance to see the 2025-26 Patriot League women's basketball preseason favorites, the Navy Midshipmen in action for the first time this season at Alumni Hall on Wednesday evening. Coming off a road win over the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens on Friday night in Newark, the Mids (1-0) will take on a Longwood Lancer (2-0) squad that is looking to keep its own undefeated start to the season intact. Wednesday night's matchup is a rematch from last November that saw Navy go on the road to Farmville, Virginia and knock off Longwood in front of its own fans. Tip-off at Alumni Hall is scheduled for 7 p.m. and is the first of seven non-conference tilts at home for the Mids' this season.

Wednesday's 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 1430 AM, online at WNAV.com or through the iHeart and Audacy platforms.  

Scouting the Competition
Longwood comes into Wednesday's matchup with a 2-0 record after cruising to dominant victories over Randolph (DIII) by a score of 121-35 on Nov. 5 and Western Kentucky, 80-42 on Nov. 8 ... During the 2024-25 season, the Lancers finished 22-12 and came within seven points of securing the Big South Conference as High Point held off Longwood 59-53 in the league's championship ... Longwood went on to play Duquesne in the WNIT Tournament and fell 70-68 on the road to the Dukes ... In the 2025-26 Big South Preseason Poll, the Lancers were picked second of nine teams and had Amor Harris (1st) and Malea Brown (2nd) named to the Preseason All-BSC Team

Navy vs. Longwood / Big South Conference
After a lull of 33 years, the Navy-Longwood series was reinvigorated last November with a matchup in Farmville that went the way of the Mids, 75-61 ... Prior to that Nov. 23 contest, the Mids and Lancers haven't met on the hardwood in a women's basketball contest since Feb. 25, 1991 in a game that Navy won 74-62 in Annapolis ... Over 12 all-time meetings, Navy is 10-2 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 ... 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 previous matchups occurred at the Division II level ... Wednesday will be the 31st showdown for Navy versus a Big South Conference foe; all-time, the Mids are 22-8 (10-2 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
    Nov. 23, 2024 (A): Navy 75 - Longwood 61
    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.

Most Recent Navy-Longwood Matchup -- Nov. 23, 2024 in Farmville, Va.
The Navy women's basketball team started out strong on both ends of the court at Longwood and never looked back as it improved to 6-0 this season with a 75-61 victory on Saturday afternoon. The Mids scored 18 points in the first quarter and shut down the Lancers with suffocating defense that forced six turnovers and blocked five shots to jump out to an 11-point lead through 10 minutes of play. The host Longwood squad never got closer than seven points the rest of the game at the Joan Perry Brock Center as Navy held a comfortable double-digit advantage for the entire second half to seal its fourth win away from Annapolis over the first six games of the season.

Zanai Barnett-Gay and Kate Samson spearheaded Navy's individual efforts on Saturday as Barnett-Gay tallied a double-double with 22 points and a career-best 13 rebounds, to go along with four assists and two steals, while Samson scored a career-high 18 points and tied her career-best with six block shots in a Central Virginia homecoming for the Mids' starting center. Navy's freshman class played a large role in the visitors' success as Mary Gibbons went for 11 points and five rebounds off the bench and Julianna Almeida reached double figures for the first time in her young career with 10 points and an additional nine rebounds.

The game started evenly as both teams netted four points over the first two-plus minutes. A three-pointer by Almeida at 7:02 gave Navy its first and ultimately final lead of the game. After the Lancers pulled within two, 9-7 at 5:25, the Mids shut them out for the rest of the quarter. Navy's defense held them to 0-11 shooting with three blocked shots, as well as forced three turnovers during this span. Over that same run, the Mids were able to increase their lead out to 18-7. Barnett-Gay recorded four points, while Gibbons nailed a corner three at 1:23 as an exclamation point. For the quarter, Longwood shot just 2-16 from the field and had five shots blocked by Samson.

Trailing by 11 after one quarter of play, the host Lancers fought back in the second quarter and posted the first four points of the period to draw with seven, 18-11 by the 8:49 mark. After a layup by Samson at 7:48, the Mids' lead fluctuated between eight and 12 for the rest of the period. Five points by Gibbons and four from Samson helped Navy keep pace with Longwood during the quarter. With the score 33-25 and less than a minute left, Barnett-Gay sent the Mids into the locker room up 11 with a three-pointer on their final possession.

Coming out of half up 36-25, Navy opened the second half with a purpose as it netted the first five points, three from Samson and the other two via a Toni Papahronis steal and breakaway layup. With the score, 41-27, five straight points from Barnett-Gay gave the Mids its biggest lead of the game, 19. A jumper by Kyah Smith at 1:44 increased Navy's advantage back up to 18, 51-33. Four unanswered points down the stretch by Longwood closed the quarter at 51-37.

Another 5-0 personal run, this time by Samson between 8:02 and 7:36 re-increased the Mids' lead back to a game-best 19 points, 58-39. The final six-plus minutes saw Barnett-Gay score seven points, including a play of the day highlight when she crossed up her defender, putting her on the court before stepping back for a three-pointer at 1:52; that trey gave her 22 points for the second straight game. Four points in quick succession by Nia Henley in the final minute helped Navy close out the 75-61 victory.
 
For the game, Navy out-shot Longwood, 43.5 percent (30-69) to 42.4 (25-59) from the field and 41.2 percent (7-17) to 9.1 (1-11) from three-point range. The Lancers were more efficient at the foul line, 71.4 percent (10-14) to 53.3 (8-15).

The Mids had a significant advantage in rebounding on Saturday afternoon as they out-rebounded the Lancers, 45-33. Ten more offensive rebounds, 21-11, played a large role in that differential, as well as in second-chance points, 20-10. Barnett-Gay led all players with a career-high 13 rebounds, six on the offensive side and seven on defense. Almeida nearly joined her in double figures with a career-best of her own, nine. Off the bench, Gibbons grabbed a career-best five caroms.

Defensively, Navy forced Longwood into 17 turnovers and was credited with seven steals. Maren Louridas and Barnett-Gay tied for top-billing with two thefts each. Samson was dominant in the post as she matched her career-high with six blocks, including five in the first quarter.

Comparing the Teams

(2024-25 Stats)	Navy	Longwood
Record / League-Only	19-12 / 11-7 PL	22-15 / 11-5 Big South
Home / Away / Neut. Record	9-8 / 9-4 / 1-0	10-5 / 10-6 / 2-1
Points Per Game	66.0 PPG	68.9 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	61.1 PPG	59.3 PPG
Field Goal Percentage	37.3 %	41.9 %
3-Point Percentage	30.3 %	30.2 %
Free Throw Percentage	69.5 %	70.1 %
Rebounds Per Game	40.3 RPG	37.2 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	13.2 / 13.5	13.4 / 18.2

Returning Leaders

(2024-25 Stats)	Navy	Longwood
Points Per Game	Zanai Barnett-Gay, 19.0 ppg	Amor Harris, 11.0 ppg
Rebounds Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay, 7.7 rpg	Otaifo Esenabhalu, 8.2 rpg
Assists Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay, 3.1 apg	Malea Brown, 2.3 apg
Field Goal Percentage	Morgan Demos, 45.4 %	Frances Ulysse, 50.0 %
3-Point Percentage	Julianna Almeida, 36.7 %	M. Brown, 34.2 %
Free Throw Percentage	Z. Barnett-Gay, 80.5 %	Jaci Bolden, 78.7 %

Navy in Season Home Openers
Over the past five home openers, Navy is 2-3 with wins over Bryn Athyn ('24) and Susquehanna ('23). The Mids have been on the road in six of the last 10 season openers. 
    Last Five Home Openers
    November 6, 2024: Navy 103 - Bryn Athyn 45
    November 8, 2023: Navy 78 - Susquehanna 37
    November 16, 2022: UAlbany 64 - Navy 50
    November 9, 2021: Georgetown 73 - Navy 62
    January 16, 2021: American 61 - Navy 52    

Last Time Out -- Friday, November 7 at University of Delaware
Navy kicked off its 2025-26 campaign in fine fashion with a 68-61 victory over the University of Delaware on the road on Friday night. After trailing during the early portion of the contest, the Mids (1-0) ran off eight straight points late in the first quarter and never looked back as they led by as much as 21 points before holding on for a seven-point win over the Fightin' Blue Hens (1-1) at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Zanai Barnett-Gay overcame a slow start with only one first half field goal to finish with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. She was joined atop the team leaderboard in points by Zoe Mesuch, who knocked down four three-pointers on her way to 16 points in her collegiate debut. Julianna Almeida spearheaded Navy's first half success with all 11 of her points coming in the opening 20 minutes of play on Friday night.

The game opened with a Delaware feel to it as the home squad scored eight of the contest's first 12 points over the initial 3:33 of action. Almeida was credited with the first points of Navy's 2025-26 season with a 2-2 showing at the foul line, while Morgan Demos recorded the Mids' first basket with a layup during this span. Trailing 8-4, Navy rattled off an 8-0 run to take the lead on the strength of a pair of Kate Samson field goals. The teams traded points over the final 1:53 of the quarter and the Mids retired to their huddle at the quarter break up 14-12.

After leading Navy offensively with six points in the first quarter, Almeida dialed up from long range on the Mids' first possession with a three-pointer to jolt her team up five, 17-12. After the Blue Hens fired back with a rebuttal of their own to make it 17-14, the Mids turned in a 9-4 run to go up eight, 26-18. The run was bookended by field goals from Navy's vaunted freshmen class as Christina Liggio converted a layup at 8:37 before Mesuch found the bottom of the net with three-pointer at 5:36. Shooting 5-5 from the field over this span, the Mids' keen marksmenship continued as they were able to extend their advantage out to 11 points capped by a Samson layup at 2:22. After an exchange of free throws, Mesuch registered her third made field goal of the quarter as she banged home a three-pointer with 44 seconds remaining in the quarter to close the half with Navy up 37-23.

Up 14 points coming out of the locker room to start the second half, Mesuch immediately looked to extend the Mids' lead as Barnett-Gay found her on the wing for a three-pointer on Navy's first possession of the half. An offensive rebound and putback by Demos next time down the court added another two points to the visitors' advantage to make it 42-23 by the 8:51 mark. The Mids' lead hovered between 17 and a game-high 21 deep into the quarter before the Blue Hens recorded the final nine points of the stanza and turned a 52-31 score into a 12-point margin of 52-40.

Delaware continued to tighten up the scoreboard into the fourth quarter, though Navy did enough to hold the host team at bay. The three-point shot was particularly influential in the Mids' defense of their lead in the fourth as Mesuch and Mary Gibbons went back-to-back with treys at 3:07 and 2:36, respectively to give Navy a double-digit cushion of 63-53. Gibbons' field goal was the final make for Navy as it went 5-6 from the foul line down the stretch to hold on for a hard fought 68-61 victory. Liggio was active at the charity stripe with three of those successful makes in the final 39 seconds.

For the game, Navy out-shot Delaware, 39.6 percent (21-53) to 36.4 (20-55) from the field, 25.0 percent (6-24) to 0.0 (0-10) from three-point range and 74.1 percent (20-27) to 63.6 (21-33) from the foul line.

The Mids dominated the rebounding battle with a 10-carom advantage, 42-32 on Friday night. Navy grabbed 12 of those rebounds on the offensive end, while Delaware grabbed 11. Barnett-Gay tied for the game high with 10 rebounds. Demos was right behind her with eight rebounds of her own in just over 19 minutes of action.

Parking / Shuttle
Fans are reminded that the general public does not have access to drive their vehicles on to the U.S. Naval Academy. Fans may park at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for a fee and take a shuttle that will run every 10 minutes starting one hour before the game and will continue running until one hour after the game is completed. Enter Gate 5 off Taylor Ave. to park at the stadium. Fans 18 and over need a government-issued photo ID. 
**Starting May 7, 2025, in accordance with The Real ID Act of 2005, visitors entering through the Pedestrian Gate 1 Visitor Control Center or accessing the USNA through the fan shuttle bus for a game should be prepared to present a REAL ID-compliant driver's license, U.S. Passport, enhanced state-issued ID, or another acceptable form of identification, to access federal facilities.  Foreign passports are NOT permitted for general access.