BETHLEHEM, Pa. – No. 2 Holy Cross and No. 4 Lehigh advanced to the 2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Women’s Basketball Championship game after wins on Thursday night.

No. 2 Holy Cross (22-9, 14-4 PL) advanced to the title game with a 61-55 victory over Army West Point (24-7, 14-4 PL), fending off multiple Black Knights runs to punch its ticket. Senior guard Mary-Elizabeth Donnelly led the Crusaders with 17 points, shooting 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

No. 4 Lehigh upset top-seeded Navy (22-8, 16-2 PL), 81-76 in overtime, after first-year forward Leia Edwards recorded career highs with 26 points and 15 rebounds as the Mountain Hawks outlasted the Mids.

Live coverage of the 2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Women’s Basketball Championship game begins at noon on Sunday, March 15 on CBS Sports Network. Jason Knapp will handle play-by-play, Julianne Viani Braen will provide analysis and Patriot League multimedia journalist Paige Messier will report from the sideline.

For more information on Patriot League women’s basketball dates, times and coverage, visit the women’s basketball composite schedule on the League’s official website at www.PatriotLeague.org.
CLICK HERE for more information on the 2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Women’s Basketball Championship. To view the 2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Championship Digital Program, CLICK HERE.

2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Women’s Basketball Championship

First-Round	Saturday, March 7 – Hosted by Higher Seed	Time	Coverage
Game 1	No. 9 American at No. 8 Boston University	2 p.m.	Boston U, 69-58
Game 2	No. 10 Colgate at No. 7 Bucknell	4 p.m.	Colgate, 57-47
Quarterfinals	Monday, March 9 – Hosted by Higher Seed	Time	Coverage
Game 3	No. 8 Boston University at No. 1 Navy	7 p.m.	Navy, 76-66
Game 4	No. 5 Loyola Maryland at No. 4 Lehigh	6 p.m.	Lehigh, 68-54
Game 5	No. 6 Lafayette at No. 3 Army West Point	6 p.m.	Army, 65-57
Game 6	No. 10 Colgate at No. 2 Holy Cross	6 p.m.	Holy Cross 72-36
Semifinals	Thursday, March 12 – Hosted by Higher Seed	Time	Coverage
Game 7	No. 4 Lehigh at No. 1 Navy	7 p.m.	Lehigh, 81-76 (OT)
Game 8	No. 3 Army West Point at No. 2 Holy Cross	6 p.m.	Holy Cross, 61-55
Championship	Sunday, March 15 – Hosted by Higher Seed	Time	Coverage
Game 9	No. 4 Lehigh at No. 2 Holy Cross	Noon	CBS Sports Network

 
AT NO. 2 HOLY CROSS (22-9, 14-4 PL) 61, NO. 3 ARMY WEST POINT (24-7, 14-4 PL) 55
Hart Center/Worcester, Mass.                                    6 p.m. (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross fended off a late Army West Point rally to earn a 61-55 victory and clinch a spot in the 2026 Patriot League PenFed Credit Union Women’s Basketball Championship game.
*The Crusaders and Black Knights traded baskets in the first quarter, but a 3-pointer from junior guard Kendall Eddy with 25 seconds remaining gave Holy Cross a 14-12 lead heading into the second quarter.
*Holy Cross used a 7-0 run midway through the second quarter, capped by a 3-pointer from senior guard Mary-Elizabeth Donnelly, to extend its lead to 28-21 with two minutes remaining in the half.
*The Black Knights trimmed the lead to 30-26 before senior guard Kaitlyn Flanagan hit a contested layup at the buzzer to give the Crusaders a 32-30 lead at halftime.
*Army West Point cut the Holy Cross lead to 37-35 before senior forward Simone Foreman connected on a wing 3-pointer to spark a 10-2 Crusaders run. Holy Cross carried a 49-42 lead into the fourth quarter.
*The teams traded baskets early in the fourth quarter before Flanagan connected on a wing 3-pointer to put the Crusaders up 57-49 with four minutes remaining.
*Army West Point responded with a 6-0 run, but a Holy Cross defensive stop with 18 seconds remaining halted the Black Knights’ momentum as the Crusaders made their free throws to seal the 61-55 victory.
*Donnelly led three Crusaders in double figures with 17 points, while Flanagan added 13 points and senior forward Meg Cahalan contributed 11 points and six assists.
*Junior guard Camryn Tade paced the Black Knights with 13 points, while junior forward Kya Smith recorded an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double and first-year forward Reganne Reardon added 10 points.
RECAPS: ARMY WEST POINT | HOLY CROSS

NO. 4 LEHIGH (17-13, 11-7 PL) 81, AT NO. 1 NAVY (22-8, 16-2 PL) 76 (OT)
Alumni Hall/Annapolis, Md.                                     7 p.m. (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Lehigh outlasted Navy, 81-76 in overtime, in a back-and-forth battle to advance to the 2026 Patriot League PenFed Credit Union Women’s Basketball Championship game for the second consecutive season.
*Navy opened the game on a 5-0 run and led by as many as eight points before a buzzer-beating layup by Lehigh junior guard Gracyn Lovette cut the Mids’ lead to 21-15 after the first quarter.
*The Mids extended their lead to 31-22 midway through the second quarter as freshman guard and Patriot League Rookie of the Year Zoe Mesuch connected on back-to-back 3-pointers. Lehigh answered late in the half and took a 37-36 lead into halftime after a deep 3-pointer by junior forward Whitney Lind.
*Navy began the third quarter on an 8-2 run to regain the lead, but the Mountain Hawks responded with a 10-2 run fueled by first-year forward Leia Edwards. The Mids reclaimed a 54-53 edge entering the fourth quarter after junior guard and Patriot League Player of the Year Zanai Barnett-Gay banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
*Lehigh built a 67-62 lead midway through the fourth quarter behind four 3-pointers from Lovette and Edwards before Navy responded with an 8-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Mesuch and Barnett-Gay, to take a late lead. Both teams made defensive stops in the final seconds to force overtime tied at 72-72.
*In overtime, Lehigh regained control after a go-ahead corner 3-pointer from sophomore forward Belle Bramer and three late free throws from Edwards sealed the 81-76 victory.
*Edwards led the Mountain Hawks with a career-high 25 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, while Bramer added 22 points and Lovette scored 18 points.
*Barnett-Gay paced the Mids with 29 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Mesuch added 18 points.
RECAPS: LEHIGH | NAVY

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.