ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Winning its last seven games in the month of January, the Navy women's basketball team will look to extend its unbeaten streak on Wednesday when it welcomes the Lafayette Leopards to Alumni Hall. Currently sitting two games up in the standings through 10 of 18 Patriot League games, the Mids (14-6, 9-1 PL) will aim for the season sweep of the Leopards (8-13, 4-6 PL), whom Navy handily defeated on January 10 in Easton, Pennsylvania, 97-58. In that contest at Lafayette's Kirby Sports Center, Navy shot 66 percent from the field over the final three quarters on its way to setting a program record for most points versus a DI opponent. Wednesday night's matchup is slated for a 7 p.m. tip-off in Annapolis.

The Navy-Lafayette 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 Lafayette
The Mids and Leopards have met 87 times in a series that began on Feb. 16, 1980  ... All-time, Navy leads Lafayette, 58-29 with a 35-11 advantage in games played in Annapolis and a smaller 22-17 edge in matchups in Easton ... Over the past three seasons, the series has seen a 2-0 season sweep by Lafayette in 2023, a 3-0 season sweep by Navy in 2024 and a series split in 2025 ... In the last ten overall matchups of the series, each team has won five contests, with Lafayette securing a four-game streak over the 2022 and 2023 seasons followed by Navy taking four straight four meetings during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The teams have split the past two matchups, each winning on the road.
    Last Five Games:
    Jan. 10, 2026 (A): Navy 97 - Lafayette 58
    Feb. 8, 2025 (H): Lafayette 61 - Navy 60
    Jan. 5, 2025 (A): Navy 71 - Lafayette 49
    March 9, 2024 (H): Navy 67 - Lafayette 45
    Feb. 28, 2024 (A): Navy 58 - Lafayette 49

Most Recent Navy-Lafayette Matchup ... January 10, 2026 in Easton, Pa.
EASTON, Pa. – The Navy women's basketball team started out fast and kept its foot on the gas pedal for 40 minutes on Saturday as it rolled to a 97-58 road victory over Lafayette. After shooting 40.9 percent, but still scoring 24 points in the first quarter, the Mids (9-6, 3-1 PL) found that next gear and shot a scalding 65.9 percent over the final 30 minutes of action to turn a seven-point lead into a dominant 39-point margin of victory over the Leopards (6-9, 2-2 PL). Navy's effort on Saturday at the Kirby Sports Center saw the team break two records and post two more top-10 single-game all-time marks.

The Mids' 97 total points were the most-ever against an NCAA DI opponent and their 39-point margin of victory was the highest-ever versus Lafayette in 87 meetings. Other new editions to the program's single-game record book were 26 assists tying the seventh-most all-time in a contest, while their 38 made fields tied for tenth all-time.

Individually, Zanai Barnett-Gay closed in on a triple-double for the second-straight game as she recorded 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in 33 minutes of action. On Wednesday at Bucknell, she finished with 10 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in Navy's blowout win over the Bison. Zoe Mesuch also played a pivotal role in the Mids' success on Saturday as scored 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field with a 6-of-12 mark from three-point range, while also assisting on a career-high eight baskets. Her previous high was four assists in a game. Quinn Boettinger gave Navy three players in double figures as she registered 10 points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes of playing time.

The action on Saturday opened evenly as Lafayette was undaunted by Navy's pace both offensively and defensively as it was 7-7 through three-plus minutes of play. After Morgan Demos briefly put the Mids up two, 9-7 at 6:20, the Leopards fired back with eight unanswered points to bolt out to a 15-9 advantage. Navy had a loud rebuttal of its own to the tune of seven straight points to pull ahead, 16-15 by the 3:17 mark. Julianna Almeida began this run with one of her go-to elbow jumpers at 4:55. A possession that perfectly encapsulated the Mids' heart and hustle mindset came during this segment of the action as Boettinger started the possession by batting a pass away for a steal before the Mids fought for three offensive rebounds and Mesuch finally found Christina Liggio cutting to the rim for a driving layup. A three-pointer by Liggio and later a second chance offensive rebound and put back by Boettinger increased Navy's lead to 21-15 just one minute later at 2:17. Three made free throws with less than a second remaining in the quarter by Barnett-Gay gave the Mids a 24-17 advantage.

Navy slowly started putting distance between itself and Lafayette within the first three minutes of the second quarter as the Mids broke out a 10-point lead, 29-19 at 8:37 before increasing it to 11, 31-20 at 7:17. Following that Barnett-Gay turnaround jumper, Lafayette never saw its deficit reach single digits again. Navy had its way shooting threes, but also dissecting Lafayette's interior defense as 12 off its points came inside the paint with nine more coming from beyond the three-point line. Boettinger served as the dominant post player, while Barnett-Gay was the athletic slasher to the hoop with Mesuch setting up shop from three-point range. That dynamic trio tallied 22 of the Mids' 24 points in the second quarter as the teams retired to their locker rooms at half time with Navy up 48-33.

The Mids built off that scorching shooting performance from the second stanza with a somehow even better 6-6 start to the third quarter. Not missing a shot from the field until the 2:51 mark of the third quarter, Navy increased its lead with an overall run of 18-9. Mesuch was the spark plug during this span with eight points on 2-of-2 shooting from three-point range, as well as 2-of-2 from the foul line. Five other Mids provided the additional 10 points. With the score 66-42 following that first missed shot, Navy continued pulling away as the visitors took a 25-point lead into the quarter break, 75-50. 

Overall, Navy shot 69.2 percent (9-13) from the field, 80.0 percent (4-5) from three-point range and 71.4 percent (5-7) from the foul line in its highest-scoring quarter of the game (27 points).

The Mids kept up the intensity on both ends of the court throughout all 40 minutes as the fourth quarter opened with a 14-4 run over the first 4:32 of play. Navy's guards made everything happen during this span of play as Mesuch hit two more three-pointers, Mary Gibbons ran out for a pair of fast break layups and Barnett-Gay had one of her patented picked off passes and breakaway layups. Up 35, 89-54, Navy nearly reached the 40-point threshold twice over the final four minutes of regulation as the Mids rode Lizzie Holder down the stretch with four baskets in their final six possessions. Navy went up 39, 95-56, at 1:49 and later with 57 seconds to go with the final score of 97-58.
 
For the game, Navy out-shot Lafayette, 57.6 percent (38-66) to 42.9 (21-49) from the field and 44.4 percent (12-27) to 33.3 (5-15) from three-point range. The Leopards hit 91.7 percent (11-12) for their shots from the foul line versus 69.2 (9-13) for the Mids.

The Mids had a day for the record books with their ball-handling as they assisted on 26 of their 38 made baskets. That total is tied for seventh-most in a single game. Mesuch assisted on a career-high eight field goals, while Barnett-Gay finished with seven helpers. Navy's assist-to-turnover ratio on Saturday was 26-to-11.

Defensively, Navy forced Lafayette into 20 turnovers and flipped those extra opportunities into 36 points off turnovers versus just nine points off turnovers for the Leopards. The Mids were credited with nine steals with Barnett-Gay and Boettinger each recording a pair of thefts.

Comparing the Teams

(2025-26 Stats)	Navy	Lafayette
Record / League-Only	14-6 / 9-1 PL	8-13 / 4-6 PL
Home / Away / Neutral Record	8-3 / 6-3	3-5 / 5-8
Points Per Game	70.5 PPG	60.7 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	62.1 PPG	65.0 PPG
Field Goal Percentage	41.9 %	39.4 %
3-Point Percentage	30.9 %	39.3 %
Free Throw Percentage	68.9 %	76.9 %
Rebounds Per Game	39.8 RPG	32.2 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	15.8 / 14.2	11.8 / 13.6

Individual Leaders

(2025-26 Stats)	Navy	Lafayette
Points Per Game	Zanai Barnett-Gay, 17.0 ppg	Theresa Kiewiet, 16.9 ppg
Rebounds Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay, 8.5 rpg	Maddison Krug, 7.5 rpg
Assists Per Game	Z. Barnett-Gay 4.3 apg	Talia Zurinskas, 3.7 apg
Field Goal Percentage	Kate Samson, 52.1 %	Haylie Adamski, 43.3 %
3-Point Percentage	Mary Gibbons, 34.8 %	Sauda Ntaconayigize, 43.1 %
Free Throw Percentage	Z. Barnett-Gay, 80.7 %	T. Zurinskas, 77.6 %

Last Time Out -- Saturday, January 31 at Loyola in Baltimore
Settling into the roll of the hunted as the top team in the Patriot League, the Navy women's basketball team found itself in a 40-minute battle with Loyola on the road on Saturday. Leading by three points at the half, but falling behind by three after three quarters, the Mids (14-6, 9-1 PL) showed its composure down the stretch and out-scored the Greyhounds (9-12, 5-5 PL) by nine points in the fourth to secure the 68-62 victory at Reitz Arena.

Julianna Almeida led Navy's effort with a season-high 19 points on 7-15 shooting with three three-pointers to go along with four rebounds. Zoe Mesuch provided strong backup with 15 points, while Quinn Boettinger paced the Mids' bench performance with 12 points, five rebounds, a block and a +14 plus-minus statistic. Bogged down with foul trouble throughout most of the game, Zanai Barnett-Gay registered a complete line of 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal before fouling out in 25 minutes.

The action opened up with the hosts controlling the paint and jumping out to an 8-2 run on 4-4 shooting over the initial two-and-a-half minutes. Almeida put the Mids' comeback effort on her back as she sank consecutive three-pointers to draw Navy even, 8-8 by the 5:32 mark. After Loyola made a pair of free throws to go ahead, 10-8, the guests rattled off 10 unanswered point over the next 2:26 of game action. Four points by Boettinger and a third three-pointer by Almeida sparked this run. With the score 18-10 with 2:30 to go, Loyola turned in a significant rebuttal of its own with seven unanswered points to pull within one. A single free throw by Boettinger in the waning seconds of the quarter ended the frame with Navy up 19-17.

The back-and-forth competitive action carried over into the second quarter as the largest point differential of the entire 10-minute period was four points and that came 48 seconds in courtesy of a Mesuch layup that made it 21-17. Following that field goal Loyola went on a 6-0 run to go up 23-21 before Mesuch fired back with her second three-pointer of the half to put Navy back into the lead 24-23 at 6:26. From that juncture for the next four-plus minutes, the teams traded baskets before back-to-back makes by Almeida and Barnett-Gay flipped a 28-26 deficit into a 31-28 lead with 1:53 remaining in the quarter. Both teams made one field goal over the final 52 seconds as the Mids took a 33-30 lead into the locker room.

Navy survived a first half that saw Loyola shoot 54.2 percent (13-24) from the field and dominate the paint with 22 points down low, included a combined 17 from the Greyhounds' experienced fifth-year forwards Lex Therien and Koi Sims. The Mids' success focused on nine caused turnovers, 10 points off those miscues and five three-pointers.

The second half opened similarly to the first half as Loyola controlled the early play with the first 10 points of the third quarter to bolt out to a 40-33 lead. On it's heals a bit, Navy put an end to that run as Kate Samson hit a jumper at 6:04. The senior center recorded her second basket in as many trips to make it a 42-37 contest. The Mids' string of successful trips down the court continued as Almeida and Mesuch went 4-for-4 from the foul line Navy's next two possessions to cut its deficit to three, 44-41. The Mids kept its eyes on the Greyhounds' lead as they twice drew within two points, 46-44 at 1:35 and 48-46 at 0:54 before a final free throw by Loyola's Kimmie Hicks concluded the frame with the hosts up 49-46.

Coming out of the quarter break, Hicks deposited two more foul shots to increase the Greyhounds' lead back up to five, 51-46. That would be the last time Loyola led by that amount as Navy fought back with a 9-2 run to swing the momentum and scoreboard back in its favor, 55-53 punctuated by a Mesuch three-pointer at 5:45. Boettinger, Saran Moschella and Almeida all added layups earlier in the run for the Mids. Unfazed by the task of matching up against a more experienced and mature frontline, Boettinger continued having her way in the paint with baskets at 4:54 and 3:08 to put Navy up 57-54 and later 59-56.

Neither team rolled over and Loyola fought back and pulled within one, 61-60 with 54 seconds remaining. The Mids finally connected on a punch that wobbled the Greyhounds enough to open the door and seal the victory on the ensuing possession. Coming out of a timeout, Mesuch took her defender off the dribble and sped through the lane for a layup with 48 seconds remaining to go up three. A miss on Loyola's next time down the court and it became a foul shooting contest down the stretch. Mary Gibbons was the leader of this span of play as she was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line as Navy was able to ice the come-from-behind win, 68-62.

This was the first victory all year by the Mids in which they led for less than 20 minutes as they only were in front of the Greyhounds for 17:31 on Saturday.

For the game, Navy out-shot Loyola in all three disciplines; 44.4 percent (24-54) to 40.7 (22-54) from the field, 46.2 percent (6-13) to 21.4 (3-14) from three-point range and 82.4 percent (14-17) to 65.2 (15-23) from the foul line.

The Greyhounds held a slim, 32-30 edge in rebounds. Barnett-Gay and Boettinger led the Mids' effort on the glass as each player grabbed five caroms on the afternoon.

Navy was active with its ball movement as the Mids finished with 17 assists on 24 made baskets. Christina Liggio and Barnett-Gay posted team highs with three assists each.

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.