Patriot League WBB Notebook (2.6.26)
 
THIS WEEK IN PATRIOT LEAGUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (AND HOW TO WATCH)
Patriot League women’s basketball returns Saturday, February 7, with a five-game slate beginning at 1 p.m. as Navy travels to American. Three games tip at 2 p.m., with Bucknell visiting Colgate, Army West Point heading to Lafayette, and Boston University facing Loyola Maryland, before the day concludes at 4 p.m. as Holy Cross travels to Lehigh.
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. 6
Navy junior guard Zanai Barnett-Gay leads the Patriot League in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game (PPG), while Lafayette junior guard Teresa Kiewiet ranks second at 16.6 ppg and Loyola Maryland graduate forward Lex Therien rounds out the top three at 16.5 ppg. American freshman forward Charlotte Tuhy leads the League in rebounds averaging 10.9 rebounds per game, followed by Army West Point junior forward Kya Smith at 9.7 rpg with Therien ranking third at 8.9 rpg. Barnett-Gay leads the League in assists with 4.3 apg, while Holy Cross senior guard Kaitlyn Flanagan ranks seconds with 4.0 apg and Lehigh sophomore guard Gracyn Lovette ranks third with 3.7 apg.

2025-26 Patriot League Women’s Basketball Standings (as of 2.6) 

	PL	Pct.	Overall	Pct.
Navy	10-1	.909	15-6	.714
Holy Cross	8-3	.727	14-8	.636
Army West Point	8-3	.727	17-5	.773
Lehigh	7-4	.636	11-10	.524
Loyola Maryland	5-6	.455	9-13	.409
Lafayette	4-7	.364	8-14	.364
American	4-7	.364	6-16	.273
Bucknell	4-7	.364	8-14	.364
Boston University	3-8	.273	7-15	.318
Colgate	2-9	.182	6-16	.273

STATS | SCHEDULE

MIDS MOVE TO 10-1, BLACK KNIGHTS, MOUNTAIN HAWKS AND BISON EARN HOME VICTORIES
Army West Point 59, Colgate 35 – Army West Point used a dominant first half and stifling defense to pull away early and secure its eighth Patriot League victory. Camryn Tade led the balanced attack with 10 points as the Black Knights forced 24 turnovers and held the Raiders to 30.2 percent shooting.
Lehigh 63, Loyola Maryland 62 – Lehigh held off a late Loyola Maryland push to edge the Greyhounds in a one-point battle at Stabler Arena. Whitney Lind scored 17 points and Lily Fandre added 14 points, while Lex Therien posted 17 points and 10 rebounds to move into a tie for first on the Patriot League’s all-time rebounding list.
Bucknell 58, American 45 – Bucknell broke the game open in the fourth quarter with a 13–2 surge to secure the home win at Sojka Pavilion. Tuana Coskun scored 21 points as the Bison outscored the Eagles 22–13 in the final period.
Navy 62, Lafayette 46 – Navy used dominant second and third quarters to extend its winning streak to eight games with a decisive victory at Alumni Hall. Zanai Barnett-Gay recorded 20 points and 13 rebounds as the Midshipmen built a 21-point halftime lead and never looked back.
 
CRUSADERS TAKE DOWN TERRIERS ON CBS SPORTS NETWORK
Holy Cross used a dominant first half to earn a 60–46 wire-to-wire victory over in-state rival Boston University on CBS Sports Network at the Hart Center. The Crusaders opened the game on a 14–5 run and carried a 33–18 advantage into halftime after limiting the Terriers to 2-of-9 shooting in the first quarter. Boston University responded with a 14–4 stretch in the third to trim the deficit to five, but Holy Cross answered late in the period to take a 45–37 lead into the fourth. The Crusaders regained full control in the final quarter, shooting 54.5 percent while holding the Terriers to 3-of-12 from the field to secure the double-digit win. Meg Cahalan led all scorers with 23 points, while Mary-Elizabeth Donnelly added 11 points and nine rebounds as Holy Cross forced 18 turnovers and scored 38 points in the paint.
 
THERIEN ONE REBOUND AWAY FROM HISTORY
Loyola Maryland graduate forward Lex Therien is one rebound away from becoming the Patriot League’s career rebound leader. Therien is currently tied for first with 1,197 rebounds and needs one rebound to claim the top spot from Lafayette’s Natalie Kucowski. Therien ranks third in the League in rebounding at 8.9 rpg and averages 10.4 rpg in her career.
 
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 17.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.6 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 20 of 21 games with nine double-doubles this season.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAY STATS LEADERS
Lehigh senior forward Lily Fandre leads the League in scoring at 18.5 points per game while Navy junior guard Zanai Barnett-Gay and Loyola Maryland graduate forward Lex Therien rank second at 16.9 ppg. American freshman forward Charlotte Tuhy leads the League in rebounding at 11.5 rebounds per game, followed by Lafayette freshman forward Maddison Krug at 10.0 rpg and Barnett-Gay at 9.7 rpg. Barnett-Gay leads the League in assists at 4.9 assists per game while Lehigh junior guard Gracyn Lovette ranks second at 4.2 apg and Lafayette sophomore guard Talia Zurinskas at 4.6 apg and Colgate senior guard Madison Schiller are tied for third at 4.0 apg. Krug leads the League in blocks (17), while Holy Cross junior guard Kendall Eddy ranks first in steals (31), and Barnett-Gay ranks first steals per game at 2.9 spg.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYERS AMONG NCAA LEADERS
Several Patriot League players rank among the NCAA Division I top 50 through February 6. Holy Cross senior guard Kaitlyn Flanagan ranks 29th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.20. Navy junior guard Zanai Barnett-Gay and Loyola Maryland graduate forward Lex Therien are tied for 28th in double-doubles with nine apiece, while American freshman forward Charlotte Tuhy ranks 19th with 10 double-doubles. Tuhy also ranks 11th nationally in rebounds per game at 10.9, while Army West Point junior forward Kya Smith sits 30th at 9.7 rebounds per game. Barnett-Gay ranks 43rd in steals per game at 2.67, Lafayette senior forward Sauda Ntaconayigize ranks 20th in three-point percentage at 43.14 percent, and Army West Point senior guard Reese Ericson ranks 38th with 59 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 496 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 11.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. Haylie Adamski continues her fantastic freshman season, ranking 17th in scoring in the first 11 games of Patriot League play (11.0 ppg) while leading the League in three-pointers made (27) in League play. Zoe Mesuch has found her stride at Navy ranking 10th in scoring during League play (14.6 ppg), and ranking second in three-pointers made (27).
 
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 6th place with 241 and has already made 59 three-pointers this season while shooting 39% from beyond the arc.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE IN THE NET
The Patriot League features three teams in the top 200 of the latest NCAA NET rankings. Army West Point leads the League at No. 123 following wins over UMass and Howard in their non-conference play. Navy ranks second in the League at No. 134 followed by Holy Cross at 169. 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 OFF TO HOT START UNDER KUESTER
The Army West Point Black Knights are off to a 17–5 start under first-year head coach Katie Kuester, posting a Patriot League-best +9.4 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 10 double-digit victories through 22 games and are powered by a balanced lineup with three double-figure scorers. Junior forward Kya Smith leads the team with 13.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, while junior guard Camryn Tade averages 12.9 points per game. Senior guard Reese Ericson nets 10.5 ppg and leads the League, ranking 37th nationally at 2/68 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.