Patriot League WBB Notebook (1.16.26)
 
THIS WEEK IN PATRIOT LEAGUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (AND HOW TO WATCH)
Patriot League women’s basketball continues Saturday, January 17, with a four-game slate highlighted by a 1 p.m. matchup as Army West Point travels to American. Three games follow at 2 p.m., with Loyola Maryland heading to Boston University, Lafayette visiting Holy Cross and Colgate traveling to Bucknell to round out the day’s action. Lehigh at Navy has been canceled with Lehigh forfeiting the contest due to an insufficient number of healthy players available to safely compete. For more information on Patriot League women’s basketball schedules, visit the composite schedule on the League’s official website at www.PatriotLeague.org.

PATRIOT LEAGUE STATISTICAL LEADERS THROUGH JAN. 16
Lafayette junior guard Teresa Kiewiet and Navy junior guard Zanai Barnett-Gay lead the Patriot League in scoring, averaging 17.7 points per game (PPG). Loyola Maryland graduate forward Lex Therien rounds out the top three at 16.8 ppg. Army West Point junior forward Kya Smith and American freshman forward Charlotte Tuhy lead the League in rebound averaging 10.4 rebounds per game, followed by Therien at 8.9 rpg. Barnett-Gay leads the League in assists with 4.3 apg, while Lehigh junior guard Gracyn Lovette ranks seconds with 3.9 apg and Holy Cross senior guard Kaitlyn Flanagan ranks third with 3.6 apg.

2025-26 Patriot League Women’s Basketball Standings (as of 1.16) 

	PL	Pct.	Overall	Pct.
Navy	5-1	.833	10-6	.625
Army West Point	4-1	.800	13-3	.812
Lehigh	4-2	.667	8-8	.500
Holy Cross	3-2	.600	9-7	.562
Lafayette	3-2	.600	7-9	.438
Loyola Maryland	3-2	.600	7-9	.438
American	2-3	.400	4-12	.250
Boston University	1-4	.200	5-11	.312
Colgate	1-4	.200	5-11	.312
Bucknell	0-5	.000	4-12	.250
Navy	5-1	.833	10-6	.625

STATS | SCHEDULE

GREYHOUNDS, LEOPARDS, TERRIERS EARN ROAD VICTORIES WHILE THE BLACK KNIGHTS AND MIDS PROTECT HOME FLOOR
Loyola Maryland edged Colgate, 49–47, in Hamilton, N.Y., as freshman guard Olivia Shaughnessy scored the game-winning layup with seven seconds left holding off a late Colgate surge to secure the road win. Lafayette pulled away from Bucknell, 62–49, in Lewisburg, Pa., behind a combined 50 points from junior guard Teresa Kiewiet, freshman guard Haylie Adamski and senior forward Sauda Ntaconayigize. The Leopards broke a halftime tie with a decisive third-quarter run to earn their third League win of the season. Army West Point used a dominant third quarter to defeat Holy Cross, 61–46, at Christl Arena. A 13–2 stretch in the third helped the Black Knights move to 4-1 in Patriot League play. Boston University defeat Lehigh, 68–64, using a strong second quarter to seize control. The Terriers then went 8-for-8 at the line in the fourth to hold off a late Mountain Hawks rally. Navy rolled past American, 86–68, jumping out to a 22–6 first-quarter lead. Zanai Barnett-Gay led a balanced Navy attack as the Midshipmen led wire-to-wire.
 
LAFAYETTE’S KRUG ANCHORS DEFENSE IN LEOPARDS WIN
Lafayette freshman forward Maddison Krug anchored the Leopards’ defense to help secure their first win at Bucknell since 2013. Krug pulled down a team-high 18 rebounds as Lafayette won the rebounding battle, 44–35, and added six blocks as a dominant defensive presence. She now leads the Patriot League in blocks during League play with 11.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAY STATS LEADERS
Lehigh senior forward Lily Fandre and Navy junior guard Zanai Barnett-Gay are tied for the Patriot League lead in scoring through five games averaging 18.6 points per game (PPG). Loyola Maryland graduate forward Lex Therien ranks third at 18.0 ppg. American freshman forward Charlotte Tuhy leads the League in rebounding at 10.r rebounds per game, followed by Loyola Maryland graduate forward Lex Therien and Lafayette freshman forward Maddison Krug tied at 9.8. Barnett-Gay leads the League in assists at 5.4 assists per game while Lehigh junior guard Gracyn Lovette ranks second at 4.2 apg while Colgate senior guard Madison Schiller and Lafayette sophomore guard Talia Zurinskas are tied for third at 3.8 apg. Krug leads the League in blocks (11), while Barnett-Gay ranks first in steals per game at 2.8 spg.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYERS AMONG NCAA LEADERS
Multiple Patriot League players rank among the NCAA Division I top 50 through January 16.
Army West Point junior forward Kya Smith ranks tied for 19th nationally in rebounds per game (10.4) and 17th in field-goal percentage (58.9) through 16 games. American freshman forward Charlotte Tuhy is tied for 19th in rebounds per game at 10.4. Smith’s teammate, senior guard Reese Ericson, ranks 17th nationally in three-pointers made per game (2.94) and 27th in total three-pointers made (47). Lafayette senior forward Sauda Ntaconayigize ranks 27th in three-point percentage at 42.5 percent, while teammate freshman guard Haylie Adamski ranks 32nd at 41.9 percent. Navy sophomore guard Julianna Almeida ranks 12^th in assist to turnover ratio at 2.89.
 
TUHY POSTS MONSTER DOUBLE-DOUBLE IN OT WIN
Charlotte Tuhy powered American with 17 points and a career-high 22 rebounds in the Eagles’ overtime win over Colgate, controlling the paint on both ends. The freshman added seven offensive boards and came up with timely plays late in regulation and overtime while logging 42 minutes. She is tied with Army West Point junior forward Kya Smith for most rebounds in a game this season at 22.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE PICKS UP POWER 4 WINS IN NON-LEAGUE PLAY
Patriot League women’s basketball secured four Power Four victories in nonleague action, earning wins against two ACC opponents, one Big 12 opponent and one SEC foe.
Holy Cross edged Boston College, 72–71, on a last-second inbound basket from Kaitlyn Flanagan to Simone Foreman. Lehigh opened its season with an 88–85 road win at Cincinnati behind 25 points apiece from Whitney Lind and Jessie Ozzauto. Navy topped Florida, 69–54, as Zanai Barnett-Gay posted 22 points and eight rebounds while the Midshipmen held the Gators to 29 percent shooting. Lafayette closed the stretch with a 76–59 road win at Pittsburgh, led by Teresa Kiewiet’s 19 points as the Leopards limited the Panthers to five points in the fourth quarter.
 
THERIEN RISING ON PL CAREER REBOUNDS LIST
Loyola Maryland graduate forward Lex Therien is rising the Patriot League’s career rebounds leaderboard as she now sits in fifth place with 1,144 rebounds and 51 rebounds away from becoming the Patriot League’s leading rebounder. Therien ranks third in the League in rebounding at 8.9 rpg and averages 10.5 rpg in her career.
 
FLANAGAN ENTERS PL CAREER TOP 10 ASSISTS
With five assists against Army West Point on Wednesday, Holy Cross senior guard Kaitlyn Flanagan entered the Patriot League top-10 in career assists with 471 career assists. Flanagan is the fifth Crusader to crack the top 10, as she is averaging 4.2 assists per game this season and 4.1 assists per game in her career.
 
PL ROOKIES SHINING EARLY
The Patriot League freshman class has made an immediate impact, with multiple first-year players ranking among the League leaders early in the season. Charlotte Tuhy is averaging a double-double to lead American at 10.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Haylie Adamski continues her fantastic freshman season, ranking11th in scoring in the first five games of Patriot League play (13.8 ppg) while tying for the League in three-pointers made (15) and three-pointers per game (3) since League play began. Zoe Mesuch has found her stride at Navy ranking 10th in scoring during League play (14.6 ppg), tied for the League in three-pointers made (15) and three-pointers per game (3) as well as ranking third in steals per game in League play (2.2 spg) for Navy.
 
ARMY WEST POINT’S ERICSON CLIMBING 3PM LIST
Army West Point senior guard Reese Ericson is climbing the League’s career three-pointers-made leaderboard. Ericson currently is in 8th place with 229 and has already made 47 three-pointers this season while shooting 41% from beyond the arc.
 
PL CAREER 3-POINT FIELD GOALS MADE
4. Bethany O’Dell, Holy Cross (2006-10) – 277
5. Courtney Davidson, Navy (2000-04) – 245
6. Sara Ellis, Lehigh (2003–07) – 238
7. Alex Giannaros, Boston University (2021–24) – 233
8. Reese Ericson, Army (2022–present) – 229
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE IN THE NET
The Patriot League features four teams in the top 200 of the latest NCAA NET rankings. Army West Point leads the League at No. 112 following wins over UMass and Howard in their non-conference play. Navy ranks second in the League at No. 150, followed by Holy Cross at 181 and Lehigh at 191. The 2025-26 season marks the seventh year of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, which replaced the RPI as the primary tool for evaluating teams.

LEHIGH’S ADDIE MICIR AND NAVY’S ZANAI BARNETT-GAY SELECTED TO HOOP HER STATS WATCHLISTS
Lehigh head coach Addie Micir was selected to the 2026 Hoop Her Stats Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Watchlist after leading the Mountain Hawks to the Patriot League regular-season title and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2025.
Navy senior guard Zanai Barnett-Gay earned a spot on the Hoop Her Stats Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Watchlist after averaging 19.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game while earning 2025 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year honors.

ARMY WEST POINT OFF TO HOT START UNDER KUESTER
The Army West Point Black Knights are off to a 13–3 start under first-year head coach Katie Kuester, posting a Patriot League-best +11.1 scoring margin. Army West Point earned key nonleague wins, including a comeback victory over St. Thomas, followed by a 64–61 win against previously unbeaten UMass at Christl Arena, and closed nonleague play with a 64–58 win over Howard who is ranked inside the top 125 of the NET. The Black Knights have recorded eight double-digit victories through 16 games and are powered by a balanced lineup with four double-figure scorers. Junior forward Kya Smith leads the team with 15.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, while junior guard Camryn Tade averages 11.7 points per game. Junior guard Taylor Wilson chips in 11.2 ppg and senior guard Reese Ericson nets 10.9 ppg and leads the League, ranking 17th nationally at 2.94 three-pointers made per game.
 
SMITH POST 20-20 GAME IN BLACK KNIGHTS WIN OVER HOWARD
Army West Point junior forward Kya Smith recorded a dominant 27-point, 22 rebound double-double in the Black Knights’ 64-56 win over Howard. The junior went a perfect 15-of-15 from the free throw line while shooting 6-of-10 from the field to help the Black Knights pull away in the second half from the Bison who are ranked in the top 125 of the NET Rankings. Smith tied for most rebounds in a game since Loyola Maryland graduate forward grabbed 23 boards in 2024.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE ANNOUNCES WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ON CBS SPORTS NETWORK
CBS Sports Network will provide live coverage of five Patriot League Women’s Basketball games this season. The network will carry both Army West Point–Navy matchups, beginning with Navy hosting the Black Knights on Saturday, Jan. 24, followed by Army West Point welcoming the Mids on Saturday, Feb. 21. CBS Sports Network will also feature two in-state rivalry matchups: Bucknell at Lafayette on Monday, Jan. 26, and Boston University hosting Holy Cross on Monday, Feb. 2. The Patriot League PenFed Credit Union Women’s Basketball Championship Game will air on CBS Sports Network for the 17th consecutive season on Sunday, March 15, at noon.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE AMONG NCAA GRADUATION RATE LEADERS
The Patriot League’s 10 women’s basketball programs tied for the best GSR score (100) and posted the highest FGR score (93) among NCAA DI conferences. Boston University, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Loyola Maryland recorded perfect GSR scores, with Army West Point (95), American (92) and Navy (88) all finishing above the national average. Boston University and Lehigh finished with perfect FGR scores, while Colgate (93), Bucknell (92), Holy Cross (92), Loyola Maryland (92), American (85), and Lafayette (71) all finished above the national average. 
 
PENFED CREDIT UNION RETURNS AS SPONSOR
The Patriot League announced that PenFed Credit Union will return as the presenting sponsor of the 2024-25 League men’s and women’s basketball championships. PenFed Credit Union became the first presenting sponsor of the Patriot League Championship for the 2020-21 season. This will mark the fifth season that the nation’s second-largest federal credit union will partner with the League.
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.