ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The second half of the Patriot League season kicks off this Saturday for the Navy women's basketball team with a quick road trip to Loyola. Currently sitting atop the league standings with an 8-1 mark, the Mids (13-6, 8-1 PL) will be looking to extend their six-game winning streak and take its fourth straight matchup over the Greyhounds (9-11, 5-4 PL) as they swept the 2025 season series. Tip-off at Loyola's Reitz Arena is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

Saturday's Navy-Loyola 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 Loyola
The Mids and Greyhounds have met 43 times in a series that began on January 28, 1979 ... All-time, Navy leads Loyola, 28-15 on the strength of the Mids' dominant 17-4 advantage in games played in Annapolis ... In games played in Baltimore, Loyola holds a slim 11-10 edge ... A two-game season sweep in 2021 by Navy helped end a four-game slide in the series; the two teams split the 2022, 2023 and 2024 series before the Mids were victorious twice again in 2025 ... Since the Greyhounds joined the Patriot League in 2013-14, the Mids are 16-11 overall ... Over the last ten matchups, the series leans towards Navy 7-3 due to a 5-0 mark at Alumni Hall during that stretch. Prior to the Mids' win last March in Baltimore, they had lost three straight at Reitz Arena.
    Last 5 Games:
    March 1, 2025 (A): Navy 66 - Loyola 53
    January 11, 2025 (H): Navy 63 - Loyola 59
    February 21, 2024 (H): Navy 53 - Loyola 51
    January 27, 2024 (A): Loyola 70 - Navy 67
    February 19, 2023 (A): Loyola 74 - Navy 50

Most Recent Navy-Loyola Matchup ... March 1, 2025 in Baltimore
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.

Defensively, Navy forced Loyola into 19 turnovers and was credited with eight steals. Papahronis and Henley each had two steals.

Comparing the Teams

(2025-26 Stats)	Navy	Loyola
Record / League-Only	13-6 / 8-1 PL	9-11 / 5-4 PL
Home / Away Record	8-3 / 5-3	3-5 / 6-6
Points Per Game	70.6 PPG	55.8 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	62.1 PPG	60.9 PPG
Field Goal Percentage	41.8 %	40.7 %
3-Point Percentage	30.5 %	28.9 %
Free Throw Percentage	68.1 %	67.7 %
Rebounds Per Game	40.3 RPG	32.5 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	15.7 / 14.2	12.5 / 18.3

Individual Leaders

(2025-26 Stats)	Navy	Loyola
Points Per Game	Zanai Barnett-Gay, 17.3 ppg	Lex Therien, 16.6 ppg
Rebounds Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay, 8.7 rpg	L. Therien, 8.9 rpg
Assists Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay 4.4 apg	Cristina Garcia, 2.5 apg
Field Goal Percentage	Kate Samson, 52.7 %	L. Therien, 53.8 %
3-Point Percentage	Mary Gibbons, 35.6 %	Amandine Amorich, 29.9 %
Free Throw Percentage	Z. Barnett-Gay, 80.4 %	L. Therien, 75.0 %

Last Time Out -- Wednesday, January 28 versus Boston University
With temperatures hovering below the freezing mark outside of Alumni Hall on Wednesday night, both the Navy and Boston University women's basketball teams struggled throughout most of their matchup to heat up any sort of offensive momentum. At the conclusion of 40 minutes of action, a jolt from the Mids' bench, constant defensive pressure and 19 offensive rebounds helped the hosts pull away for a 57-47 victory. After shooting just 25 percent and holding a slim 20-19 lead at halftime, Navy (13-6, 8-1 PL) improved its output in the second half with a 43.2 percent shooting effort to out-score Boston (7-13, 3-6 PL), 37-28.

Individually, Zanai Barnett-Gay did it all for the Mids as she scored 13 points, grabbed eight rebounds, assisted on five baskets and recorded a career-high seven steals in 36 minutes of action. Zoe Mesuch tied her teammate with 13 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. Kate Samson gave Navy three players in double figures as she registered 11 points on an efficient 5-8 shooting effort.

The action was slow out of the gate as the score crawled out to a 3-3 margin through the initial 4:08 of play. Mary Gibbons doubled Navy's output the next time down the court with a three-pointer from the wing at 5:10. The teams exchanged baskets over the next 90 seconds as the score increased to 8-5 in favor of the Mids. Morgan Demos' second basket of the opening frame put Navy up five at 1:23, though BU answered back on the ensuing possession to close the low-scoring quarter at 10-8.

The visitors drew even 54 seconds into the second period to make it 10-10. From that juncture at 9:06, the Mids caught fire, relatively speaking, with a 7-1 run over the next 2:35 with all of the points coming from their talented freshmen class as Mesuch went back-to-back with a jump shot and three-pointer before Quinn Boettinger concluded the run with an offensive rebound and putback. With the score 17-11, the Terriers fought back on the strength of their imposing center Anete Adler as she individually was responsible for six of the game's next seven points to pull tighten the contest to one point, 18-17 by the 2:19 mark. Two points for each of Mesuch and Adler down the stretch sent the teams to the locker room with the score 20-19.

In the first half, Navy was held back by just a 25.0 percent (8-32) shooting effort and a 14.3 percent (2-14) showing from three-point range, though its defensive pressure forced Boston into 10 turnovers.

The action in the second half continued to plod along as the Terriers slowly moved into the lead 25-23, 3:33 into the third quarter. Mesuch registered the Mids' only basket during this stretch with a three-pointer on the squad's first possession. Faced with a deficit for the first time since the opening minutes of the game, Taylor looked to his bench for a spark and inserted Maren Louridas and Saran Moschella for their first action on Wednesday. After riding out tied scores of 25-25, 27-27 and 29-29 over the next three minutes, the duo's impact was felt over the final third of the period as Navy out-scored BU 8-2 to pull out to a 37-31 lead. Giving the Mids a much-needed infusion of energy, Louridas grabbed two rebounds, scored two points and added an assist, while Moschella helped Navy's cause with two points and two rebounds. More importantly though, the duo changed the physical look of the Mids' lineup and helped to counter the Terriers' post duo of Adler and Anastasiia Semenova.

Quiet through three quarters of play with six points, five rebounds and three steals, Barnett-Gay flashed the dynamic skillset that makes her a frontrunner for the league's player of the year honor in the fourth quarter when her team needed it the most. With the score 37-33, Barnett-Gay sparked Navy with an individual 5-0 run within 46 seconds as she sank a three-pointer off a baseline out-of-bounds play before depositing a second-chance layup off a Boettinger offensive rebound at 8:27. Her strong play translated over the rest of the Mids' lineup as that 5-0 run increased out to 10-0 as a pair of Boettinger free throws at 6:51 made it a 14-point game, 47-33. Boston valiantly tried to keep pace with Navy and cut its deficit down to nine points three times between 5:11 and 2:50, but in each case the Mids had an immediate retort, twice by Samson and the third time by Barnett-Gay. A final layup by Mesuch with 45 seconds remaining iced the victory for the hosts as they extended their win streak to six games with a 57-47 ultimate score.

In Navy's 20-point fourth quarter, Barnett-Gay provided her squad with seven points, three points and four steals in 8:11 of action, while Boettinger crashed the glass with five rebounds and facilitated three baskets via assists. In keeping with her instant-energy role that started in the third quarter, Louridas played 6:22, grabbed two rebounds and was a +5 in the plus-minus statistic.

For the game, Boston out-shot Navy 36.0 percent (18-50) to 34.8 (24-69) from the field, 27.3 percent (3-11) to 18.2 (4-22) from three-point range and 61.5 percent (8-13) to 50.0 (5-10) from the free throw line.

The Mids made up for their short-comings with their shooting on Wednesday with a dominant 10-rebound advantage, 45-35, in the battle on the glass. Boettinger and Barnett-Gay tied for the team lead with eight caroms each.

Navy's ball-handling was clicking on Wednesday with an 18-to-10 assist-to-turnover ratio. Barnett-Gay paced the Mids with five helpers.

Defensively, Navy forced Boston into 18 turnovers and was credited with nine steals. Barnett-Gay was constantly pestering the Terriers' offense with a career-high seven steals to go along with one blocked shot. In total, Navy blocked five BU shots.