Army, Navy Women’s Basketball Heading in Different Directions in Patriot League

The Army West Point Black Knights women’s basketball team is in contention for a high Patriot League Tournament seed.

Army's Reese Ericson drives to the net ahead of Emmanuel College's Angelina Giordano during Monday's game on November 7, 2022. / Patrick Oehler/Times Herald-Record / USA TODAY NETWORK

Four games remain in Patriot League women’s basketball action and the league’s two service academies — the Army West Point Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen — are heading in different directions.

The Black Knights (19-5, 11-3 in Patriot) have won their last three games and remain in contention for the league’s top conference tournament playoff seed. If the Patriot League tournament started today, Army would be the No. 2 seed.

The Midshipmen (15-10, 7-7) have lost their last four games and are in sixth place in the standings. The only good news is that, with a three-game lead over seventh-place Lafayette, Navy has nearly avoided playing in the Patriot League Tournament’s first round.

Army is coming off a 63-43 win over American. Kya Smith had a double-double for the Black Knights, as she had 10 points and 14 rebounds. Trinity Hardy led the way with 14 points, while Reese Ericson added 13 points.

The Black Knights’ three-game winning streak of late includes a 68-64 win over Navy last weekend, during which Smith had a team-high 19 points. It was a Star Series game, and the Army win brought the school a point in the yearly competition.

Army is two games behind Lehigh (22-4, 13-1) and the Black Knights do have one meeting left against the Mountain Hawks. But, for Army to have a chance of moving into the top spot in the conference, it must win out and hope that Lehigh loses another game, in addition to falling to the Black Knights.

The Midshipmen are in a slide. Not only has Navy four straight games, it has lost six of its last seven games.

Navy lost its most recent game to Colgate, 76-72. Julianna Almeida, the reigning Patriot League rookie of the week, led the Midshipmen with 21 points. Saran Moschella came off the bench to score 17 points, while Kyah Smith scored 14 points and Zanai Barnett-Gay added 10 points.

Army is prepping for a home game against Bucknell on Saturday at noon eastern at Christl Arena. Navy is on the road at Holy Cross on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Patriot League Tournament starts on March 8 at campus sites with the first-round games. The quarterfinal round will be March 10 at campus sites, followed by the semifinal games on March 13 at campus sites. The championship game is March 16 at the home arena of the higher seed.

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