Patriot League WBB Notebook (2.20.26)
 
THIS WEEK IN PATRIOT LEAGUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (AND HOW TO WATCH)
Patriot League women’s basketball continues Saturday, Feb. 21, with a four-game slate beginning at 11 a.m. as Navy faces Army West Point. Lafayette takes on American at noon, while Lehigh travels to Boston University and Bucknell visits Holy Cross in a pair of 2 p.m. matchups. The weekend concludes Sunday, Feb. 22, with Colgate traveling to Loyola Maryland for a 12:30 p.m. tipoff. 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 FEB. 20
Navy junior guard Zanai Barnett-Gay leads the Patriot League in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game (PPG), while Lehigh senior forward Lily Fandre ranks second at 16.1 ppg and Lafayette junior guard Teresa Kiewiet rounds out the top three at 15.8 ppg. American freshman forward Charlotte Tuhy leads the League in rebounds, averaging 10.6 rebounds per game, followed by Army West Point junior forward Kya Smith at 9.6 rpg. Loyola Maryland graduate forward Lex Therien ranks third at 8.6 rpg. Barnett-Gay leads the League in assists with 4.3 apg, Lehigh junior guard Gracyn Lovette ranks second at 3.9 apg and Holy Cross senior guard Kaitlyn Flanagan sits in third at 3.8 apg.

2025-26 Patriot League Women’s Basketball Standings (as of 2.20) 

	PL	Pct.	Overall	Pct.
Navy *^	13-2	.867	18-7	.720
Army West Point *^	12-3	.800	21-5	.808
Holy Cross *^	11-4	.733	17-9	.654
Lehigh *^	10-5	.667	14-11	.560
Loyola Maryland	7-8	.467	11-15	.423
Bucknell	6-9	.400	10-16	.385
Lafayette	5-10	.333	9-17	.346
Boston University	5-10	.333	9-17	.346
American	4-11	.267	6-20	.231
Colgate	2-13	.133	6-20	.231

STATS | SCHEDULE
*= First-Round Bye
^=Top-Four Seed and Quarterfinal Home Game

BISON, CRUSADERS AND TERRIERS EARN ROAD WINS WHILE THE BLACK KNIGHTS DEFEND HOME COURT
Army West Point 61, Loyola Maryland 48 - Army West Point used a dominant third quarter, shooting 72.7 percent from the field in the period, to pull away for a 61-48 victory at Christl Arena. Freshman forward Reganne Reardon led the way with 16 points, while Kya Smith added 14 points and eight rebounds in the win.
Bucknell 58, American 45 - Bucknell flipped a three-point halftime deficit by outscoring American 21-11 in the third quarter and closing the game at the free-throw line to earn a 58-45 road victory at Bender Arena. Junior forward Tuana Coskun scored 19 points to pace the Bison, while freshman forward Charlotte Tuhy finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Eagles.
Holy Cross 53, Lafayette 44 - Holy Cross set the tone early with a 19-11 first quarter and never trailed in a 53-44 road win at Kirby Sports Center to complete the season sweep of Lafayette. Senior forward Meg Cahalan recorded 15 points and eight rebounds for the Crusaders, while junior guard Teresa Kiewiet had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Leopards.
Boston University 77, Colgate 70 (OT) - Boston University forced overtime and then outscored Colgate 12-5 in the extra period to secure a 77-70 win at Cotterell Court and complete the season sweep. Junior guard Bella McLaughlin totaled 22 points, including 11 points in overtime, while junior guard Ella Meabon led the Raiders with 25 points.
 
NO. 1 SEED ON THE LINE IN THE STAR GAME
Army West Point will host Navy in the Star Game on Saturday morning with the No. 1 seed and Patriot League regular-season title on the line. With a win, Navy would clinch at least a share of the regular-season title and secure the No. 1 seed in the 2026 Patriot League Women’s Basketball Championship for the first time since the 2013-14 season. The Black Knights are looking to even the season series and keep their hopes of earning the top seed alive. In the first meeting on Jan. 24, Navy used a strong defensive effort to earn a 60-44 victory over Army West Point in Annapolis, Maryland. Freshman guard Zoe Mesuch led the Midshipmen with 17 points, while junior guard Zanai Barnett-Gay added 13 points and 13 rebounds. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. on CBS Sports Network.
 
MOUNTAIN HAWKS SNAP NAVY’S 11-GAME WIN STREAK
Lehigh snapped Navy’s 11-game win streak with a statement 75-64 victory at Stabler Arena. The Mountain Hawks seized control in the second quarter, outscoring the Midshipmen 21-12 to build a 40-30 halftime lead and dictated the tempo. After Navy trimmed the margin to five points entering the fourth-quarter, Lehigh responded with 21 fourth quarter points to pull away. Senior forward Lily Fandre led a balanced offensive effort with 21 points, while junior forward Whitney Lind added 20 points to anchor the attack. The win helped Lehigh clinch a top-four seed and quarterfinal home game in the 2026 Patriot League Women’s Basketball Championship.
 
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 is currently fifth place with 262 and has already made 80 three-pointers this season while shooting 42% from beyond the arc. The senior has been nearly automatic in the past four games knocking down 21 threes as the Black Knights have won five in a row.
 
THERIEN REWRITES HISTORY
With her first rebound against Boston University on Feb. 7, Loyola Maryland graduate forward Lex Therien became the Patriot League’s career rebounding leader with 1,198 rebounds, surpassing Lafayette’s Natalie Kucowski. Therien also moved into the League’s top 10 in career scoring with 1,765 points, becoming the fifth player in Patriot League women’s basketball history to rank in the top 10 in both career points and rebounds.
 
NAVY’S ZANAI BARNETT-GAY SELECTED TO HOOP HER STATS MID-MAJOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCHLIST
Zanai Barnett-Gay was named to the midseason watch list for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award, advancing from the preseason pool to one of 15 finalists nationally. The Navy junior is averaging 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.7 steals per game while leading the Midshipmen to the top of the Patriot League standings. Barnett-Gay ranks inside the national top 100 in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and minutes played, is the only Patriot League player to sit top-six in all five categories, and has posted double figures in 22 of 23 games with nine double-doubles this season.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAY STATS LEADERS
Lehigh senior forward Lily Fandre leads the League in scoring at 18.1 points per game while Navy junior guard Zanai Barnett-Gay ranks second with 16.3 ppg and Army West Point junior guard Camryn Tade ranks third at 15.7 ppg. American freshman forward Charlotte Tuhy leads the League in rebounding at 10.8 rebounds per game, followed by Lafayette freshman forward Maddison Krug at 9.3 rpg and Barnett-Gay at 9.2 rpg. Barnett-Gay leads the League in assists at 4.6 assists per game while Lehigh junior guard Gracyn Lovette sits in second at 4.4 apg and Lafayette sophomore guard Talia Zurinskas ranks third at 4.3 apg. Krug leads the League in blocks (23), while Holy Cross junior guard Kendall Eddy ranks first in steals (39), and steals per game at 2.8 spg.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYERS AMONG NCAA LEADERS
Several Patriot League players rank among the NCAA Division I top 50 through February 20. American freshman forward Charlotte Tuhy ranks 17^th with 12 double-doubles, while Navy junior guard Zanai Barnett-Gay ranks 27^th with 10 and Loyola Maryland graduate forward Lex Therien ranks 41st with nine. Tuhy also ranks 13th nationally in rebounds per game at 10.6, while Army West Point junior forward Kya Smith sits 38th at 9.6 rebounds per game. Barnett-Gay ranks 41st in steals per game at 2.64, while Army West Point senior guard Reese Ericson ranks 28th at 42.1 percent. Ericson also ranks ninth nationally with 80 three-pointers made.
 
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.
 
FLANAGAN ENTERS PL CAREER TOP 10 ASSISTS
With five assists against Army West Point on Jan. 20, 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 4.0 assists per game this season and 4.1 assists per game in her career. Flanagan now sits in ninth place with 508 career assists.
 
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 10.6 rebounds per game. Haylie Adamski continues her fantastic freshman season, ranking 19th in scoring through 15 games of Patriot League play (10.4 ppg) while ranking second in three-pointers made (38) in League play. Zoe Mesuch has found her stride at Navy ranking 10th in scoring during League play (14.3 ppg), and ranking third in three-pointers made (36).
 
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. 115 following wins over UMass and Howard in their non-conference play. Navy ranks second in the League at No. 121 followed by Holy Cross at 172 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.

ARMY WEST POINT CONTINUES SUCCESS UNDER KUESTER
The Army West Point Black Knights are off to a 20–5 start under first-year head coach Katie Kuester, posting a League best +10.3-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 13 double-digit victories through 26 games and are powered by a balanced lineup with three double-figure scorers. Junior forward Kya Smith leads the team with 13.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, while junior guard Camryn Tade averages 13.4 points per game. Senior guard Reese Ericson nets 11.3 ppg and leads the League, ranking sixth nationally at 3.08 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.
 
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 ANNOUNCES WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ON CBS SPORTS NETWORK
CBS Sports Network will provide live coverage of four 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 one in-state rivalry matchup with 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.