ANNAPOLIS, Md. - It all comes down to this. The Patriot League regular season concludes on Wednesday night and the Navy women's basketball team has its eyes locked on winning its 11th league game and potentially moving up the final standings to grab the fourth seed in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament. Currently tied for fifth with Bucknell, but holding the tie-breaker, the Mids (18-10. 10-7 PL) would need to take care of business against the Boston University Terriers (11-17. 5-12 PL) first and root for Holy Cross to fall at home to Army as the Mids also have the tie-breaker over the Crusaders and would claim the fourth seed and a home game in the quarterfinal round this coming Monday, March 11. Tip-off is set for an early time of 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Alumni Hall.

Wednesday's Navy-Boston University 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 versus Boston University
The Mids and Terriers have met 22 times in a series that began on December 30, 2011 at the Fordham Holiday Classic in the Bronx, N.Y.  ... All-time, the series is deadlocked, 11-11 ... BU has a 6-5 edge in games played at Case Gym in Boston, while the Mids have a 6-4 advantage in games played in Annapolis ... The two teams started meeting annually once Boston joined the Patriot League for the 2013-14 season ... Over the last ten matchups, BU has an 8-2 advantage ... The Mids are on the hunt for their first season series sweep over the Terriers since 2018.
    Last Five Games
    Jan. 22, 2025 (A): Navy 74 - Boston 64
    Feb. 17, 2024 (H): Boston 69 - Navy 60
    Jan. 3, 2024 (A): Boston 62 - Navy 51
    Jan. 18, 2023 (A): Boston 84 - Navy 41
    Dec. 30, 2022 (H): Boston 62 - Navy 39

Most Recent Navy-Boston Univ. Matchup ... January 22, 2025 in Boston
Navy responded to a slow start on Wednesday morning with a record-setting second quarter on its way to a 74-64 win over Boston University. Mired in a seven-game losing streak to the Terriers (7-11, 1-6 PL), the Mids' (14-4, 6-1 PL) chances of ending that slump didn't look overly promise to begin the early tilt as they shot less than 20 percent in the first quarter and trailed 14-10 before catching fire and knocking down seven three-pointers as part of a 31-point second period. That mid-game burst jolted Navy into the lead and the Mids never looked back securing the road victory at Case Gymnasium.

One game after her double-digit scoring streak was snapped at 46 games, Zanai Barnett-Gay was a force for the Mids with game-highs of 26 points and 10 rebounds. Julianna Almeida and Lizzie Holder provided strong secondary scoring as both players set new career-highs with point totals of 15 and 13, respectively.

The action on Wednesday morning started with a Boston flavor to it as the hosts invigorated the children in attendance for the special Education Day contest with a 6-0 start. A 5-0 response by Navy pulled the visitors closer; a three-pointer by Maren Louridas capped this run. After those two baskets, the Mids' shooting touch went cold with only one make, a Toni Papahronis offensive rebound and putback, over the final seven minutes. While struggling from the field, Navy added three free throws to augment their offense as Boston completed the quarter up 14-10.

The second period had a completely different feel to it as the Mids burst through the gates with three straight three-pointers over three possessions; Almeida book-ended this streak with the team's first and third treys. With the score 19-18, the Terriers re-took the lead at 20-19 by the 8:15 mark and later, 23-21 at 6:50. The hosts extended that lead out to four at 27-23. From that juncture at 5:11, Navy rattled off 15 unanswered points to swing the lead back in its favor, 38-27. The Mids were 6-6 during that 2:38 stretch with Holder, Mary Gibbons and Barnett-Gay all knocking down three-pointers. Over the final two and a half minutes of the half, Boston at one point shaved five points off its deficit to make it 38-32 late, before a final three-pointer by Almeida sent Navy to the locker room up 41-32. For the period, the Mids shot 12-18 from the field and 7-10 from beyond the arc.

Navy re-established its 11-point lead on its first possession as Papahronis found Holder for a layup. Similar to the first quarter, the Mids struggled to find their shooting touch as they went scoreless for the next three-plus minutes before Gibbons found the bottom of the net for her second three-pointer of the game at 6:21 and Barnett-Gay followed her up with a triple of her own at 4:51 to make it 49-39. Those were the final field goals for Navy as Boston concluded the quarter with an 8-1 run to tighten the contest to 50-47.

The roller coaster action continued in the fourth quarter as the Mids opened up initial 3:35 of the period on an 8-1 run of their own to make it 58-48. The well-balanced scoring attack of Barnett-Gay, Holder and Almeida all kept adding to their strong individual performances during this span. An exchange of 5-0 runs, first by Boston from 5:57 to 5:18, and then by Navy from 4:59 to 4:29 advanced the score to 63-53. The back-and-forth clash saw the Terriers fight back one final time with seven straight points. With the score 63-60 at the 2:35, the Mids flexed their muscle down the stretch with 11 of the final 15 points. Barnett-Gay kick-started the streak with a pair of athletic long jump shots with two more successful free throws to give her 26 points for the game.

For the game, Boston out-shot Navy in all three categories, 44.7 percent (21-47) to 41.3 (26-62) from the field, 46.2 percent (6-13) to 34.4 (11-32) from three-point range and 80.0 percent (16-20) to 68.8 (11-16) from the free throw line.

Bolstered by an 18-7 advantage in offensive rebounds, the Mids won the battle on the glass, 37-28 on Wednesday. Barnett-Gay and Almeida fronted Navy's rebounding attack with respective totals of 10 and seven. Of note, five of Almeida's seven boards were on the offensive end.

The Mids' ballhandling was a strength versus the Terriers with 15 assists on 26 made field goals and only had 13 turnovers. Barnett-Gay and Holder each tallied four assists. Holder's total was a career-high.

Comparing the Teams

(2024-25 Stats)	Navy	Boston Univ.
Record / League-Only	18-10 / 10-7 PL	11-17 / 5-12 PL
Home / Away / Neut. Record	8-7 / 9-3 / 1-0	6-8 / 5-9 / 0-0
Points Per Game	67.5 PPG	58.0 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	61.4 PPG	65.1 PPG
Field Goal Percentage	38.2 %	41.6 %
3-Point Percentage	31.4 %	32.5 %
Free Throw Percentage	68.8 %	70.3 %
Rebounds Per Game	40.3 RPG	30.7 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	13.4 / 13.7	12.2 / 16.7
Common Non-Conf. Opponents	Rider - W, 74-52	Rider - W, 64-59

Individual Leaders

(2024-25 Stats)	Navy	Boston Univ.
Points Per Game	Zanai Barnett-Gay, 19.1 ppg	Alex Giannaros, 13.7 ppg
Rebounds Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay, 7.7 rpg	Allison Schwertner, 5.1 rpg
Assists Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay, 3.1 apg	Aoibhe Gormley, 3.3 apg
Field Goal Percentage	Morgan Demos, 48.8 %	Anete Adler, 51.8 %
3-Point Percentage	Julianna Almeida, 39.5 %	A. Giannaros, 37.2 %
Free Throw Percentage	Z. Barnett-Gay, 79.1 %	A. Gormley, 83.0 %

Last Time Out -- Saturday at Loyola
The Navy women's basketball team started out hot on Saturday afternoon and imposed its will defensively on Loyola to the tune of a 36-17 halftime lead. Turning the Greyhounds (9-19, 3-14 PL) over 11 times and translating that into a flawless 16-0 points off of turnovers scoring mark at the break, the Mids (18-10, 10-7 PL) weathered a spirited fourth quarter comeback before walking away with a 66-53 victory on the road at Reitz Arena.

Zanai Barnett-Gay posted her seventh double-double of the season with team-highs of 16 points and 10 rebounds over 33 minutes of action. Julianna Almeida was clutch throughout the contest and shot 5-7 from the field and 3-4 from three-point range on her way to 14-point outing and a team-high +15 plus-minus statistic. Morgan Demos gave the Mids three double-digit scorers on the day, as she went for 11 points to go along with three rebounds and a career-best six assists.
 
Loyola opened the game off solidly and held a brief 5-4 lead over Navy by the 6:04 mark of the first quarter. A post-up by Demos and kick out to Kyah Smith for a three-pointer from the wing swung the Mids back into the lead on the ensuing possession. After Loyola responded with a basket to knot the game at 7-7, Navy scored seven unanswered points, kick-started by a trey from Almeida. Koi Sims put an end to the Greyhounds' drought to make it 14-9 at 1:49. Baskets down the stretch by Barnett-Gay and Saran Moschella gave the Mids a nine-point lead after one quarter.

Navy carried that momentum over into the second period and scored 12 of the first 13 points of the quarter. Nia Henley tallied the first four points of that run before Barnett-Gay took the scoring baton with the next four points. A three-pointer by Almeida at 4:28 completed the streak and gave the Mids a 30-10 lead. The Greyhounds turned the ball over six times during the first five-and-a-half minutes of the quarter. The teams traded baskets over the second portion of the stanza and Navy took a 19-point lead into the locker room, 36-17.
Overall, in the first half, the Mids forced the Greyhounds into 11 miscues and translated those turnovers into a dominant 16-0 points off of turnovers scoring margin. Navy also had a crisp 9-to-3 assist-to-turnover ratio as its offense was constantly making that one additional pass to find an open player.

The third quarter opened with more of the same as Navy tallied six of the first eight points and forced five turnovers to expand its lead out to 23, 41-29 by the 5:14 mark. Loyola eventually steadied the ship and cut into its deficit to the tune of 48-31 score at the end of 30 minutes of action. Barnett-Gay and Demos each scored four points for the visitors in the third.

With the game seemingly in hand, the Mids had to withstand a threat by the Greyhounds in the fourth quarter as the hosts turned up the heat defensively and held the Mids without a field goal attempt for the first 6:34 of the period. A swarming defensive effort forced Navy into eight turnovers during that run of play and pulled Loyola within five points, 50-45. Showcasing a level of composure not often seen in freshman, Almeida calmly caught a Toni Papahronis pass in the corner and swished home her third three-pointer of the game at 3:26 to stop the Greyhounds' streak of success and increase the Mids' lead to eight. Navy never allowed Loyola to get closer than eight the rest of the game and increased its lead to as much as 16 down the stretch before taking the 66-53 win.

In the fourth quarter, Navy only took four field goal attempts and shot 3-4, while going to the foul line 11 times and sinking all 11 opportunities. Team captain Maren Louridas was locked in at the line with a perfect 6-6 showing. The Greyhounds forced the Mids into nine turnovers in the stanza, though only turned those into 10 points.

For the contest, Navy out-shot Loyola, 41.8 percent (23-55) to 40.7 (22-54) from the field and 94.1 percent (16-17) to 44.4 (4-9) from the free throw line, though the Greyhounds were more accurate from three-point range, 41.7 percent (5-12) to 25.0 (4-16).

The Mids dominated the battle on the boards, 34-25, on the strength of a 9-5 edge in offensive rebounds and a 25-20 advantage in defensive boards. Barnett-Gay led all players with 10 rebounds.

Navy had crisp ball-movement throughout the majority game and finished with 14 assists. Demos posted a career-high six assists, while Papahronis tied her season-high with four helpers.

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. Fans 18 and over need a government-issued photo ID. Enter Gate 5 off Taylor Ave. to park at the stadium.