Navy Defeats Radford In Overtime Thriller to Remain Undefeated

The Navy Midshipmen Women’s basketball team continued its hot start but needed an extra five minutes to outlast Radford.

Nov 28, 2020; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; A general view of the Navy Midshipmen logo on a water tower near the stadium is seen before the game between the Navy Midshipmen and the Memphis Tigers at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. / Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images

Navy scored a whopping 19 points in overtime to outlast Radford, 78-73 in a women's basketball non-conference showdown at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.V., on Sunday.

The Midshipmen (5-0) shot just 32% for the game and had to withstand a horrible second half in which they scored just 20 points.

But in the extra five minutes, Navy recaptured the offensive output it created in the first half and shot 75% from the floor on 3-for-4 shooting, but also went 10-of-14 from the free-throw line as Radford (1-4) attempted to extend the game.

Key to overtime for Navy was Kyah Smith and Zanai Barnett-Gay. Smith had nine points in overtime, including a pair of 3-pointers, while Barnett-Gay scored six points, all at the free-throw line.

Smith’s 3-pointer in overtime gave Navy a four-point lead with 1:14 left and she pushed it to five points with a free throw with 41 seconds left. From there, the Midshipmen held off Radford at the free-throw line, where Barnett-Gay went 6-for-6 and Smith fired in two more to end the game.

Smith led all scorers with 26 points, as she connected on five 3-pointers. Barnett-Gay added 22 points, and while she only shot 3-of-13 from the field she was an incredible 16-of-17 from the free-throw line. Navy was 26-of-34 from the free-throw line.

Mary Gibbons added 13 points for the Midshipmen. Kate Simpson only had three points but she grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Julianna Almedia added nine more boards.

Navy led 39-32 at the break after pouring in 26 points in the second quarter. But a shooting slump in the second half led the Midshipmen to score just 20 points in the final 20 minutes. Radford sent the game to overtime on a 3-pointer by Kirah Dandridge with 23 seconds left.

Joi Williams led Radford with 19 points as the team shot 44% from the field. She made four 3-pointers. Makayla Firebaugh scored 15 points while Taylor Napper added 10 points.

Navy owned an edge in bench points (42-18), thanks in large part to Smith, along with a 44-41 edge on the glass.

Next up for Navy is a road game at Longwood on Saturday. After that, the Midshipmen will host the Navy Classic from Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at Alumni Hall. The Midshipmen face Toledo at 1 p.m. eastern on Nov. 30, followed by a matchup with George Mason at 1 p.m. on Dec. 1. Maryland is the other team playing the multi-team event.

Navy doesn’t start Patriot League action until Jan. 2 when it travels to American.