ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Already co-holders of the longest Patriot League winning streak in program history, the 2025-26 Navy women's basketball team will look to grab sole possession of first place all-time in the school's record books with its tenth straight win versus league foes on Wednesday night when it welcomes Bucknell into town for the second leg of the teams' annual home-and-home series. The Mids (16-6, 11-1 PL) began their nine-game winning streak versus the Bison (9-14, 5-7 PL) all the way back on January 7 with a 77-51 decision on the road in Lewisburg. Wednesday night's matchup is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip at Alumni Hall.

Wednesday's Navy-Bucknell 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. 

Navy versus Bucknell
The Mids and Bison have met 80 times in a series that began on December 5, 1981 ... The series is dotted with multiple lengthy streaks of wins and losses; overall Bucknell leads Navy 45-35 ... Over 37 games played in Lewisburg, the series leans towards Bucknell 23-16, though the teams are even over the last six meetings at Sojka Pavilion ... In games played in Annapolis, Bucknell has a slim 19-17 advantage  ... During the 44 years of competition between the squads, Navy has run off streaks of nine wins (2009-2013) and five games twice (1981-1992 / 1997-1999), while Bucknell won 13 straight (1999-2004), nine straight (2005-2009) and most recently seven straight (2015-2018)  ... Winners of five straight contests, Navy has a one-game edge over Bucknell for the past 10 meetings, 6-4.
    Last Five Games
    Jan. 7, 2026 (A): Navy 77 - Bucknell 51
    Feb. 1, 2025 (A): Navy 79 - Bucknell 75 (OT)
    Jan. 18, 2025 (H): Navy 49 - Bucknell 47
    March 6, 2024 (A): Navy 55 - Bucknell 49
    Jan. 24, 2024 (H): Navy 59 - Bucknell 48

Most Recent Navy-Bucknell Matchup ... January 7, 2026 in Lewisburg
The Navy women's basketball team came out on a mission on Wednesday night and passed their task with flying colors in a dominate 26-point road victory over Bucknell. After a subpar game on Saturday versus Holy Cross that lacked the team's normal gritty, passionate and energy-filled effort, the Mids (8-6, 2-1 PL) made it their objective to turn the page on that performance and impose their will and style on the Bison (4-10, 0-3 PL). They did just that and out-scored the hosts 45-16 over the second and third quarters to roll to a 77-51 win at Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion.

Additionally, Navy out-muscled and out-hustled Bucknell to the tune of a 23-rebound advantage in total caroms, 48-to-25 on Wednesday. On the strength of a 15-to-5 edge in offensive rebounds, the Mids cruised with 19 second chance points versus just four for the Bison.

Individually, Navy had all 14 of its active players appear in the contest with 10 making at least one basket and three others grabbing at least one rebound or steal. Zoe Mesuch led all players on Wednesday night with 15 points and three steals, while fellow plebe Quinn Boettinger added 13 points off the bench in just 13 minutes of action. Julianna Almeida spearheaded the Mids' second half effort with nine of her 12 total points. Though only netting 10 points, Zanai Barnett-Gay filled up the box score for Navy with game-highs of 13 rebounds and seven assists to go along with a +29 plus/minus statistic.

The game opened evenly as defense ruled the first four minutes of action as Navy held a slight 5-4 lead, while shooting just 2-of-8 from the field, though restricting Bucknell to just a 1-of-5 mark of its own. A defensive rebound by Barnett-Gay and quick outlet up the wing to a wide-open Mary Gibbons for three built the Mids' lead up to four, 8-4 at 5:26. An 8-2 response by the Bison jolted the hosts into the lead, 12-10 by the 3:50 juncture of the quarter. The teams traded baskets down the stretch with each squad matching makes to allow Bucknell to hold an 18-17 advantage at the first quarter break. As a team, the Bison shot 7-of-14 from the floor, while the Mids were 7-of-20.

The Mids kicked off the second quarter with an 8-0 run that eventually extended out to 17-2. Holding Bucknell without a made basket until the 6:06 mark, Navy opened the second period with points on four straight possessions as Morgan Demos went back-to-back with layups at 9:52 and 9:32 before Barnett-Gay and Almeida made the Bison pay with second chance baskets. Boettinger played a leading roll in the second half of this long six-and-a-half-minute run as she made three layups in a matter of 56 seconds between 4:26 and 3:30. Up 34-20, the Mids kept their foot on the gas and built up a 38-24 lead going into halftime.

In total, Navy out-scored Bucknell, 21-6 in the second quarter and out-shot the Bison, 50.0 percent (10-20) to 18.8 (3-16). Six points allowed tied a season-low for a Navy opponent in one quarter as the Mids held the Florida Gators to six points in the third quarter of their matchup on Nov. 16.

With Bucknell skidding and on the ropes after a trying second quarter, Navy immediately went in for the jugular and opened the third quarter with 13 unanswered points on 4-of-5 shooting, including three three-pointers. Almeida sparked this initial burst with a successful jumper on the Mids' first possession and a fast break trey following a Barnett-Gay rebounds and outlet pass. Three-pointers by Gibbons and Mesuch at 8:00 and 6:45, respectively, capped this run and left Navy up 27, 51-24. The Mids continued to meld hard-nosed defense with aggressive quick-strike offense as twice they went up by 29 points in the quarter, 55-26 at 4:21 and 62-33 with 15 seconds remaining in the period. A late Bucknell free throw closed the stanza with Navy up 28, 62-34.

As a team in the third, the Mids shot 63.6 percent (7-11) from the field, 66.7 percent from three (4-6) and 75.0 percent (6-8) from the free throw line, while holding the Bison to respectively values of 26.7 percent (4-15), 14.3 (1-7) and 50.0 (1-2) in the quarter.

With the result nearly wrapped up, Navy cruised in the fourth quarter with a 30-plus point lead from 6:26 through 2:30. A three-pointer by Mesuch, her third of the game, gave the Mids their first 30-point lead of 67-37 at 6:26 before Grace Minihane increased the Mids' advantage to a game-high 35 with her first collegiate field goal at 3:35, 75-40. Bucknell concluded the game on an 11-2 run over the final three-plus minutes to tighten the final differential to 26, 77-51.

The 26-point margin of victory is the second-most in program history in a win over Bucknell and Navy's first 20-plus point victory since Feb. 2, 2013 when it won by 21, 61-40. The all-time largest margin of victory for the Mids over the Bison is 30, 70-40 from Jan. 8, 2010.

Navy out-shot Bucknell from the field, 45.5 percent (30-66) to 32.1 (18-56) and 33.3 percent (8-24) to 16.0 (4-25) from three-point range. The Bison held an advantage from the foul line, 78.6 percent (11-14) to 52.9 (9-17).

The Mids dominated the glass with 48 rebounds, while the Bison were only able to grab 25. That total is Navy's highest during a regulation game this season (they had 52 in overtime against Duquesne). The Mids also had a substantial edge in offensive rebounds, 15-to-5, and directly turned those extended possessions into 19 second chance points versus four for the Bison. Barnett-Gay led all players with 13 rebounds. The talented junior guard also paced all players with seven assists versus just one turnover. Both her rebounding and assist totals tied Barnett-Gay's individual season-highs.

Defensively, Navy forced Bucknell into 14 turnovers and was credited with 10 steals. Mesuch spearheaded the Mids' effort with three steals; Barnett-Gay was one back with a pair of thefts.

Comparing the Teams

(2025-26 Stats)	Navy	Bucknell
Record / League-Only	16-6 / 11-1 PL	9-14 / 5-7 PL
Home / Away / Neutral Record	9-3 / 7-3	6-5 / 3-9
Points Per Game	70.8 PPG	53.9 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	61.2 PPG	56.8 PPG
Field Goal Percentage	41.7 %	39.0 %
3-Point Percentage	30.5 %	28.9 %
Free Throw Percentage	68.2 %	70.0 %
Rebounds Per Game	40.5 RPG	30.2 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	15.7 / 13.7	12.0 / 14.7

Individual Leaders

(2025-26 Stats)	Navy	Bucknell
Points Per Game	Zanai Barnett-Gay, 17.3 ppg	Tuana Coskun, 13.6 ppg
Rebounds Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay, 8.8 rpg	Anna Kunzwiler, 4.3 rpg
Assists Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay 4.4 apg	Elena Houghton, 2.1 apg
Field Goal Percentage	Kate Samson, 52.4 %	I. Casey, 43.5 %
3-Point Percentage	Z. Barnett-Gay, 34.5 %	T. Coskun, 34.3 %
Free Throw Percentage	Z. Barnett-Gay, 80.8 %	T. Coskun, 83.0 %

Last Time Out -- Saturday, February 7 vs. American in Washington, D.C.
The Navy women's basketball team moved its way to the top of the program's record book on Saturday with its ninth-straight Patriot League victory coming courtesy of a dominant 86-58 result over American University. Undefeated since January 3, the Mids (16-6, 11-1 PL) blitzed the Eagles (6-17, 4-8 PL) coming out of halftime and turned a slight three-point lead into a 28-point blowout at AU's Bender Arena. Navy shot 56.7 percent in the second half and converted 10 American turnovers into a flawless 16-0 advantage in points off turnovers.

Individually, the Mids were led by Zanai Barnett-Gay's third straight double-double as the junior standout went for 22 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals over 32 minutes of action. On their way to amassing 86 points, Navy had three more players in double digits with Zoe Mesuch adding 13 points with Morgan Demos and Julianna Almeida right behind with respective totals of 12 and 11 points. Additionally, Almeida notched her second double-double of the season with 11 rebounds.

The action opened with a slight American feel to it as the hosts led 6-2 at 8:11 and later 12-11 at 5:38. Demos (6) and Barnett-Gay (5) combined for all 11 of the points for Navy during this initial run. Trailing by one, Barnett-Gay rattled off five straight points on consecutive possessions at 4:17 and 3:45 to put the Mids up 16-12. A 7-0 rebuttal by the Eagles swung the lead back in the hosts' favor by the 2:10 juncture. Navy scored four of the period's final six points to tighten the score to American 21, Navy 20.

The Eagles shot 55.6 percent (10-18) from the field, while the Mids knocked down 35.0 percent (7-20) of their attempts. Four free throws and a pair of three-pointers bolstered the visitors' cause.

Of note, Barnett-Gay surpassed the 1,500-point career scoring mark midway through the first quarter and moved into sixth place on the program's all-time scoring list moving ahead of Jade Geif's 1,501 points. Next up is Adria Schneck in fifth place with 1,578 points.

American continued to hold onto its lead for the first five minutes of the second quarter as it bubbled its advantage to five, 27-22 at 5:57 before Demos and Barnett-Gay combined to eliminate that lead with five points in back-to-back trips down the court. A jumper by Kate Samson with 4:08 remaining in the quarter pushed Navy back into the lead, 29-27. The Mids held a one-possession lead for the next three-plus minutes before an 'and-one' conversion by Lexi Salazar with 21 seconds left tied the game at 35-35. Unwilling to settle for a tied score going into the locker room at the half, Barnett-Gay nailed a three-pointer as time was expiring to make it 38-35.

Leading by a slim three-point margin at the break, Navy came out in the second half on a mission and recorded the first 11 points to go up 49-35 just 2:45 into the third quarter. Mesuch entered her name in the scoring column after being shut out in the first half with five quick points, including a three-pointer via a Barnett-Gay assist. After Laura Nogues halted the Mids' 11-0 run, Almeida immediately responded with a three-pointer of her own to make it 52-37 at 6:27. As a team, Navy opened the frame 5-5 from the field and 2-3 from the foul line. A small 5-0 retort by American drew the hosts within 10 points with 4:52 left in the period, but that would be as close as the Eagles would get for the remainder of the game as the Mids concluded the frame by scoring 14 of the final 16 points. Once again, Mesuch was the sparkplug of a substantial run as she registered six of Navy's points during this stretch.

For the quarter, Navy out-scored American, 28-9 and used six Eagle miscues to record 10 points off turnovers. The Mids were efficient in all facets of its offense with a 58.8 percent (10-17) shooting effort and a four-to-zero assist-to-turnover ratio.

Ahead 66-44 at the start of the fourth quarter, Navy was rarely challenged in the final period of play as the Mids emptied their bench and had 13 different players see time in the quarter to complete the 15-for-15 showing of participation on Saturday. A basket by AU's Molly Driscoll on the Eagles' first possession drew the hosts to within 20 before back-to-back three-pointers by Almeida and Maren Louridas bubbled the Mids' lead out to 26, 72-46 at 7:20. Navy continued to hold a 20-plus point lead for the remainder of the game as they re-reached that 26-point margin, 84-58 at 1:09 following a Nia Henley jump shot. 17 seconds later, a steal by Sidney Quinn and fast break layup by Grace Minihane gave the Mids their final and largest lead of the day, 28, 86-58.
  
For the game, Navy out-shot American, 46.3 percent (31-67) to 39.7 (23-58) from the field and 33.3 percent (7-21) to 15.0 (3-20) from three-point range. The Eagles finished with a 75.0 percent (9-12) to 65.4 (17-26) advantage in foul shooting.

The Mids controlled the glass with a 43-33 final margin. Navy ended the contest with 12 offensive rebounds versus just five for American. Almeida and Barnett-Gay tied for the team lead with 11 caroms each. This marked the eighth time in nine games that Navy out-rebounded its opponent (in all eight instances by seven or more boards).

Navy's ball-handling was on point on Saturday with a 16-to-8 assist-to-turnover ratio, including just one turnover in the entire second half, a purposeful shot clock violation in the waning seconds of the contest. Barnett-Gay paced all players with five assists.

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.