In a thrilling showdown that had fans on the edge of their seats, Navy's women's basketball squad faced off against a formidable South Florida team in a 40-minute clash that tested their mettle before diving into conference action. But here's where it gets controversial: Was this grueling non-conference schedule a brilliant strategy or just setting the Mids up for burnout? Stick around to see the highlights and decide for yourself!
TAMPA, Fla. – As a final warm-up before tackling the Patriot League, the Navy women's basketball team hit the road to challenge a battle-hardened South Florida squad. The Bulls have already faced four teams currently sitting in the national top-15 rankings, making this a true test of Navy's resolve. In front of an energetic crowd at the Bulls' Yuengling Center, the Mids (6-5) kept it competitive, tying the score at 50-50 midway through the third quarter and staying within seven points during the fourth before South Florida secured an 86-74 win.
Shining brightly under the spotlight against a team with NCAA Tournament pedigree, freshman Zoe Mesuch from Clintondale, N.Y., delivered an outstanding all-around scoring display, racking up a personal-best 21 points by shooting 8-for-14 overall and an impressive 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. She wasn't alone in the scoring department; junior Zanai Barnett-Gay from Glenn Dale, Md., contributed 17 points plus three assists, sophomore Julianna Almeida from North Arlington, N.J., added 13, and senior Kate Samson from Richmond, Va., chipped in 12 points and six rebounds, with 10 of those boards coming in the second half.
Head coach Tim Taylor reflected on the positives from the game and the trip, saying, "There were so many positives to take from this game and this trip overall. We wanted to use this trip as a springboard for Patriot League play and get some quality team bonding time. I really feel like we were able to accomplish that. We played in front of a really good environment today, this was a Power 4 type of atmosphere. There's not many times our kids get the chance to experience something like that. I felt that we had a lot of really good moments at times throughout the game. There were some things that we'll have to clean up. USF is a really good basketball team, that has played a lot of games. They made some shots this afternoon. We tried to switch some things up defensively and they'd respond immediately and made us pay. They had such good rhythm on offense, we just had to try things to break it up."
He continued, explaining their approach: "We were ready for this style of up-and-down action. That's a style that we're comfortable playing. We've been looking into trying different lineups and figuring out who plays well together and who hasn't played well together. We've been diving into the analytics to see what the numbers and trends say. We're trying to have a better flow out there. The non-conference has really helped us to identify holes, expose us a little bit, but more than anything, prepare us for Patriot League play. I think today's game was a huge test for us. I felt that we competed really well. That was a heck of a basketball game. That was a fun game to watch!"
The game kicked off with Navy grabbing an early 5-2 advantage when Barnett-Gay nailed a three-pointer on her first try, followed by senior Maren Louridas from Delmar, N.Y., snagging an offensive rebound and feeding Samson for an easy put-back. South Florida responded with six straight points to take an 8-5 lead by the 4:50 mark. The Bulls maintained their edge for the next three minutes until Mesuch connected on consecutive threes to flip the scoreboard, putting Navy ahead 15-14 at the 1:50 mark. The squads exchanged buckets in the closing 100 seconds, heading into the break deadlocked at 17-17.
Navy set a fast tempo early, taking 23 shots in the first quarter and forcing seven turnovers, which led to a 10-0 edge in points off those mistakes—think of it as capitalizing on the Bulls' errors to score easy baskets and build momentum.
By the 7:13 mark of the second quarter, the score had climbed to 23-23. Sophomore Mary Gibbons from Holden, Mass., converted both of Navy's field goals during this stretch, going a perfect 2-for-2 from three-point land. South Florida pulled ahead by a single possession over the next few minutes, reaching 33-31 at 3:56, before surging with a 10-2 burst to lead 43-33 with 1:19 remaining. Mesuch's third three of the half cut the deficit to seven, but a late Bulls basket ended the half at 45-36. USF shot 11-for-17 from the field to establish that nine-point cushion.
South Florida stormed out in the second half, scoring back-to-back baskets to push Navy into a 12-point hole, 50-38, by the 8:49 mark of the third. But the resilient Mids fired back with 12 unanswered points on efficient 5-for-6 shooting. Almeida (5 points), Samson (4), and Mesuch (3) fueled this rally, tying it 50-50 at 6:03. Four of those five makes came via assists, and two followed turnovers—highlighting Navy's ability to move the ball quickly and exploit defensive lapses. The teams traded leads for the next four-plus minutes, with USF edging ahead 62-58 at 1:28 left in the quarter. A final Bulls score gave them a six-point lead by the end of the third.
Yet again, South Florida pounced early in the fourth, rattling off seven straight points in 2:05 to reach a 13-point high, 71-58. They held that double-digit edge until Barnett-Gay and Mesuch hit back-to-back threes at 5:12 and 4:46. After Mesuch's shot made it 76-69, the Bulls ramped up their offense and defense, restoring their lead to double digits for the final 3:48, clinching the 86-74 victory. In the fourth, Navy struggled from the field at 18.8 percent (3-for-16) but kept pace with eight free throws.
Overall, South Florida dominated shooting, hitting 58.3 percent (35-for-60) from the field compared to Navy's 37.7 percent (26-for-69), and 53.8 percent (7-for-13) versus 39.3 percent (11-for-28) from deep. Navy edged out at the free-throw line, 68.8 percent (11-for-16) to 52.9 percent (9-for-17).
The Bulls also controlled the boards with 45 rebounds to Navy's 29, including 12 offensive ones, turning those into 18 second-chance points versus seven for the Mids. Samson led Navy with six rebounds.
Navy handled the ball well, posting a 13-to-7 assist-to-turnover ratio, with Barnett-Gay and Mesuch each dishing three assists.
On defense, Navy forced 16 turnovers and recorded five steals, converting those miscues into a whopping 26-5 advantage in points off turnovers.
Taylor summed up the non-conference slate: "We put this non-conference schedule together to make it as tough as we could and test us. We played Richmond, Florida and USF, three really good NCAA Tournament level teams. Longwood and a few of the other teams we played will also be in the thick of it for their respective conference titles too. We put together a four-game in eight-day stretch to try and prepare us for the Patriot League Tournament. We're going to be better for this non-conference slate that we played. We're getting better every game and people are getting more acclimated to the college game. We're still quite a young team. I'm excited about where we are and I think we can continue to improve as we move into conference play."
Navy will take a short holiday break, with players heading home across the country. Their next challenge is the Patriot League opener on Wednesday, Dec. 31, against Boston University, with tip-off at 2 p.m. at the Terriers' home court.
And this is the part most people miss: With such a young roster, is Navy's tough schedule a masterstroke in building resilience, or could it lead to early-season fatigue? Do you think their analytical approach to lineups will pay off in conference play? Share your thoughts in the comments—do you agree this was a fun game to watch, or does the result suggest they need more tweaks? Let's discuss!
