ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After knocking off two of the Patriot League's top-four teams in a matter of three days last week, the Navy women's basketball team will look to carry on that momentum and strengthen its grip on the top spot in the conference with a Wednesday home matchup versus Boston University. The second meeting between these two squads this season, the Mids (12-6, 7-1 PL) will be going for the sweep after defeating the Terriers (7-12, 3-5 PL) on December 31 by a score of 77-64 in Boston. Navy comes into Wednesday's contest as winners of five straight games, include significant double-digit victories over Holy Cross and Army last week. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Alumni Hall.

Wednesday's Navy-BU 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 Boston University
The Mids and Terriers have met 24 times in a series that began on December 30, 2011 at the Fordham Holiday Classic in the Bronx, N.Y.  ... All-time, the series goes slightly to Navy, 13-11 ... The series is tied 6-6 in games played at Case Gym in Boston, while the Mids have a 7-4 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 a 7-3 advantage, though the Mids completed their first season series sweep since 2018 by going 2-0 over the Terriers in 2025.
    Last 5 Games
    Dec. 31, 2025 (A): Navy 77 - Boston 64
    March 5, 2025 (H): Navy 60 - Boston 47
    Jan. 22, 2025 (A): Navy 74 - Boston 64
    Feb. 17, 2024 (H): Boston 69 - Navy 60
    Jan. 3, 2024 (A): Boston 62 - Navy 51

Most Recent Navy-Boston Matchup ... December 31, 2025 in Boston
The Navy women's basketball team turned in a strong performance to kick off its slate of 2025-26 Patriot League action with a road victory over Boston University on Wednesday. The Mids (7-5, 1-0 PL) showed little rust coming off a 10-day break for the holidays and led from the first possession of the game, cruising with a double-digit lead for the final 32 minutes to take a 77-64 win over the Terriers (4-8, 0-1 PL) at Case Gymnasium.

Navy's defensive intensity resulted in 21 caused turnovers and 30 points off those Boston University to spark the visitors to victory. Those miscues also allowed the Mids to be aggressive in their attack with 22 fast break points scored on the afternoon.

Individually, the Terriers had no answer for the Mids' trio of Zanai Barnett-Gay, Zoe Mesuch and Kate Samson, who combined for 51 points on 20-35 shooting from the floor. Barnett-Gay led Navy with team-highs of 18 points, five rebounds and five assists. Mesuch spearheaded the Mids' first half attack with 10 of her 17 points to go along with four of her five ultimate steals. Samson was consistent throughout as she registered 16 points, four rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes of action.

Wednesday's contest opened evenly as the game was knotted at 4-4 early before Barnett-Gay knocked down her first three-pointer of the day at 7:22. The teams traded baskets for the next two minutes before Navy got hot and turned a 9-8 lead at 6:07 into a 17-8 advantage by the 3:30 mark. Three-pointers by Mesuch and Mary Gibbons on consecutive possessions provided the majority of the offense during this run. After BU's Inez Gallegos made a basket at 2:14 to short-circuit Navy's run, the Mids closed out the quarter with eight of the final 10 points to take a 25-12 lead into the quarter break.

For the period, Navy shot 50 percent (9-18) from the field and 50 percent (5-10) from three-point range to strengthen its offensive effort.

The second quarter began with the Mids continuing to build on their lead as Lizzie Holder and Barnett-Gay went back-to-back with a layup and three-pointer, respectively, to go up 17, 30-13, by the 8:48 mark. Navy's advantage fluctuated between 12 and 17 for the remainder of the quarter as every small run by BU had a Navy rebuttal as the teams retired to the locker room with the score, 41-29. Samson, Mesuch, Julianna Almeida and Christina Liggio all recorded field goals during that portion of the period; accentuated by Liggio's three-pointer at 1:57.

Coming out in the second half, Boston found some success early and pulled to within 10, 43-33 at 7:49. From that juncture in the third quarter, Navy flexed its offensive and defensive prowess to the tune of a 13-2 run as the Mids shot 4-4 from the field, including a three-pointer by Almeida, versus a 1-4 mark for the Terriers with two turnovers. Ahead 56-35, the teams matched points over the final 4:18 of the quarter with nine points each to wrap up the period, 65-44. Once again, points off turnovers played an integral role in Navy out-scoring BU by nine points in the third, as the Mids converted six Terrier turnovers into 11 points.

With the game in hand, Navy expanded its lead to a game-high 24 points within the first 2:09 of the fourth quarter as the visitors scored six of the period's initial nine points to go up 71-41. Samson continued her efficient outing with a 2-2 effort from the floor during this span of play. The Mids held the Terriers at a 20-plus point deficit for the next four minutes as they led 75-52 before the hosts shaved 10 points off of Navy's advantage late down the stretch to conclude the game at 77-64.
  
For the game, Boston out-shot Navy from the field, 48.2 percent (27-56) to 43.3 (29-67), though the Mids out-shot the Terriers from three-point range, 29.0 percent (9-31) to 27.3 (3-11) and the foul line, 83.3 percent (10-12) to 58.3 (7-12).

The Mids' ball-handling was crisp on Wednesday with an 18-to-8 assist-to-turnover ratio. Barnett-Gay led Navy with five helpers.

Defensively, the Mids forced the Terriers into 21 turnovers and were credited with nine steals. Mesuch recorded a game-high five steals on the day. As a team, Navy converted those Boston University miscues into a 30-5 points off a turnover statistical advantage.

Comparing the Teams

(2025-26 Stats)	Navy	Boston Univ.
Record / League-Only	12-6 / 7-1 PL	7-12 / 3-5 PL
Home / Away Record	7-3 / 5-3	3-6 / 4-6
Points Per Game	71.4 PPG	58.0 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	62.9 PPG	59.8 PPG
Field Goal Percentage	42.2 %	43.6 %
3-Point Percentage	31.1 %	34.4 %
Free Throw Percentage	68.8 %	67.2 %
Rebounds Per Game	40.1 RPG	34.3 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	15.6 / 14.4	14.2 / 15.8

Individual Leaders

(2025-26 Stats)	Navy	Boston University
Points Per Game	Zanai Barnett-Gay, 17.5 ppg	Anete Adler, 14.0 ppg
Rebounds Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay, 8.7 rpg	A. Adler, 6.4 rpg
Assists Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay 4.3 apg	Bella McLaughlin, 3.0 apg
Field Goal Percentage	Kate Samson, 51.9 %	A. Adler, 50.0 %
3-Point Percentage	Zoe Mesuch, 35.3 %	Ines Monteagudo, 43.9 %
Free Throw Percentage	Z. Barnett-Gay, 80.4 %	A. Adler, 66.7 %

Last Time Out -- Saturday, January 24 versus Army
With the bright lights of a nationally-televised broadcast versus its service academy rival in a battle for first place in the Patriot League shining on it, the Navy women's basketball team never blinked on Saturday and earned a wire-to-wire victory over Army by a final score of 60-44. The tone was set from the first possession of the game when Zanai Barnett-Gay picked off a Taylor Wilson pass and coasted in for a breakaway layup as the Mids (12-6, 7-1 PL) built up a seven-point first quarter lead over the Black Knights (15-4, 6-2 PL) and pulled away with a dominant fourth quarter effort. Navy's 16-point win was bolstered by a significant 21-rebound edge over Army and a 14-0 advantage in fast break points. Saturday's contest was sponsored by USAA.

Playing in her first Army-Navy game, Zoe Mesuch thrived in the moment as she led the Mids with 17 points on 7-14 shooting with three three-pointers. Barnett-Gay filled up the box score with 13 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Kate Samson and Julianna Almeida gave Navy four players in double figures as they each finished with 10 points on Saturday.

The action opened with Navy darting out to a 5-0 lead over the opening 2:06 of play. Barnett-Gay kicked off the run with an intercepted pass and breakaway layup 17 seconds in before Mary Gibbons sank a three-pointer from the wing at 7:54. After Army got onto the scoreboard with a Kya Smith layup on the ensuing possession, the teams traded baskets for the next two minutes. A driving layup through the paint by Mesuch and an expertly executed baseline out-of-bounds play that resulted in a wide-open jump shot for Samson allowed the Mids to take a commanding 15-5 lead by the 4:10 mark. Bending, but not breaking, the Black Knights fired back with eight consecutive points to draw within two points with 67 seconds left in the quarter. The back-and-forth battle continued into the waning seconds of the period as Quinn Boettinger and Mesuch combined to net the next five points and re-extend Navy's lead to seven, 20-13, by the quarter break.

As a team, Navy shot 69.2 percent (9-13) from the field, but was uncharacteristically cavalier with its ball-handling and had six turnovers to keep Army in the contest.

Mirroring a top prize fight, both teams survived the opening hype of the first quarter and got down to business on the defensive end as the game progressed. Longer more methodical possessions and tight, physical defending mark the second quarter as the first six minutes saw each side add just six points to its respective tally. Camryn Tade notched four of those points for Army, while Barnett-Gay converted all three of her foul shots to pace Navy during this stretch. The junior guard continued to add to her stat line with two more free throws at 3:51 to bubble the Mids' lead to nine, 28-19 before Tade came down the court the next time and knocked down two free throws of her own. Each squad made a single field goal over the final 2:38 of the half as the teams retired to their respective lockers with Navy ahead 30-23.

After teams combined for 20 points, 10 each, in the second quarter, they paralleled each other again in the third quarter with 14 a piece. Navy was more active earlier in the half, as it out-scored Army 6-2 to go up 36-25 following a steal and fast break layup by Barnett-Gay at 5:38. Tade put the Black Knights' offense on her back with a quick 5-0 individual burst to pull her squad within six by the 4:26 mark. That momentum was short-lived as Samson fired back with four of the Mids' next six points to build a then- game-high 12-point lead, 42-30. Over the final 2:21 of the stanza, Army shaved five points of its deficit to make it a 44-37 game through 30 minutes of action.

As the heavyweight battle moved onto the final quarter of play, Navy held its ground and had a counter for nearly every Army move. Smith opened the period with a layup on the Black Knights' first possession to cut it to five before Mesuch answered back with a three-pointer. An extremely crisp series of passes from Gibbons and Barnett-Gay opened a gap through the lane for Morgan Demos to waltz in untouched for an easy two points and the Mids were back up 10, 49-39. After an exchange of baskets advanced the score to 51-41 at 4:19, Navy went for the knock out punch and got it down the stretch with a 7-0 run to break the game open to a 58-41 margin. Five points from Mesuch and another field goal by Almeida provided the scoring during this two-plus minute span. With the decision in hand, the Mids closed out the contest to a rousing applause from the fans at Alumni Hall and ended their seven-game losing streak to the Black Knights, 60-44.

The 44 points allowed marked Navy's best defensive effort of the season as its previous low was 47 versus DIII Christopher Newport and 51 against Bucknell.

For the game, Navy out-shot Army 43.4 percent (23-53) to 27.4 (17-62) from the field and 26.7 percent (4-15) to 23.5 (4-17) from three-point range. Though only taking seven shots, the Black Knights were more accurate from the foul line, 85.7 percent (6-7) versus a 66.7 mark (10-15) for the Mids.

Navy dominated the glass with a 21-rebound advantage, 49-28 on Saturday. The Mids were more active on the offensive end, 10-6, as well as on the defensive end, 39-22. The 49 rebounds are the most in a regulation-length game for Navy this season.

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.