The Navy women?s basketball team proved this season it could play well offensively and defensively. The problem for the Midshipmen is that in many cases it wasn?t in the same game.
Inconsistency has been an overriding theme for Navy (12-16, 6-8 Patriot League) as it prepares to host the first two rounds of the conference tournament this weekend at Alumni Hall in Annapolis. The Mids are the fifth seed in the eight-team Patriot League and will play No. 4 American (11-18, 6-8) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Navy ended the season on a two-game winning streak, including a 54-52 win at Colgate Saturday. The Mids split the season series with American, but received the lower seed because of a tiebreaker.
Midshipmen coach Tom Marryott said he believes his team can compete with any team in the Patriot League and it?s just a matter of making the right adjustments as the game transpires. He points to Navy?s Jan. 21 upset over defending champion Army as a prime example of that.
“Everything is brand new starting today,” Marryott said. “I feel like we?ve taken good steps this year and have players who have been in big games before.”
Most notably among those players for Navy are seniors Kate Hobbs, Betsy Burnett, Margaret Knap and Carly Meyer. Meyer saved her best performances for the end of the season as the Orlando, Fla. native averaged 15.5 points and connected on 7 of 15 three-point attempts in wins last week over American and Colgate. She leads Navy in scoring (15.3) and rebounding (7.3) averages this season.
Hobbs said having home court advantage and coming into the tournament on a winning streak gives her confidence that Navy can upset its way to a Patriot League title and an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.
“The biggest challenge we have is making sure we play for 40 minutes, something we really haven?t done this season, Hobbs said. “Sometimes we?ve had a lapse for two minutes in a game and others we have just come out too excited. If we are just consistent in what we do, there isn?t anyone we can?t beat.”
PATRIOT LEAGUE PAIRINGS
Saturday, March 3 (quarterfinals)
At Navy
» No. 1 Bucknell (20-9, 12-2) vs. No. 8Colgate (5-24, 4-10), 11 a.m.
» No. 4 American (6-8) vs. No. 5 Navy (6-8), 1:30 p.m.
» No. 2 Army (24-5, 11-3) vs. No. 7 Lehigh (7-22, 5-9), 4 p.m.
» No. 3 Holy Cross (12-17, 7-7) vs. No. 6 Lafayette (7-22, 5-9), 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 4 (semifinals)
At Navy
» No. 1/8 vs. No. 4/5, 1 p.m.
» No. 2/7 vs. No. 3/6, 3:30 p.m.
