Navy forward Carly Meyer wanted nothing more this season than to beat Army.
The 6-foot senior from Orlando, Fla., had never beaten Army in a designated “Star Game” where the Army-Navy Trophy is on the line. But Meyer?s unfortunate streak continued Sunday when the Black Knights came to Annapolis and knocked off the Midshipmen, 58-43.
Meyer, though, made sure Navy put up a fight. She connected on 4 of 9 three-pointers and finished with a game-high 18 points, 14 coming in the second half. Five days earlier, Meyer scored a career-high 33 points in an 85-80 loss against Holy Cross.
“She created some great opportunities against us,” Army coach Dave Magarity said. “She just played so well coming off that 33-point game. She?s hard to match up against.”
Meyer?s play has improved each of her four seasons at Navy. As a freshman, she averaged 2.5 points and 2.3 rebounds a game. This year, she leads the team in scoring (15.3 points per game) and rebounding (7.3 rpg).
“Freshman year, you?re still learning the ropes and adjusting to college life and the college game,” Meyer said. “The speed of the game is so fast, and the level of competition is so intense. But once I made that transition, I was able to focus on adding to my game.”
While pleased with her individual progress, Meyer is upset about Navy?s season. The Midshipmen were 10-16 overall and 4-8 in the Patriot League heading into last night?s home finale against American, a game that ended too late for this edition.
Still, despite being near the bottom of the Patriot League, Meyer believes Navy can still salvage its season and surprise a few teams en route to the NCAA tournament. She points to Navy?s 49-44 upset at Army Jan. 21 and the fact that the first two rounds of the conference tournament will be in Annapolis.
Meyer is motivated by the knowledge that any loss after Saturday?s regular-season finale at Colgate will represent the last game of her career.
“I?ve been doing this since I was 6 years old, and I?m ready to close that chapter of my life,” she said. “But it?s still hard to give up something like basketball that has taught me so much about life.”
MEYER NOTES
» Carly Meyer earned Patriot League player of the week honors after scoring 33 points Feb. 13 in Navy?s 85-80 loss to Holy Cross. That performance represents the most points ever scored by Navy in a Patriot League game.
» Meyer, along with teammate Kate Hobbs, are two of five players in Navy history to have at least 900 points, 500 rebounds and 50 blocks in a career.
» Meyer is second all-time at Navy in career free-throw percentage (.793)
