IArmy, Navy Split Hoops DoubleheaderBy John Chuhran/CaMMVets Media
2-15-2025
Annapolis, MD – The location might have been different, but the end result was the same.
Three weeks ago, Army and Navy played each other in a basketball double header at West Point’s Christl Arena. On that day, the Army women won 59-49 and the Navy men won 66-53. On Saturday, the two teams from both service academies met again and the scores were closer, but the end results were the same.
The games at Annapolis carried a greater importance than those on the banks of the Hudson River. Each year, the two academies compete in more than 40 sports as part of the Star Games, a cumulative tabulation of the results of those competitions for bragging rights among the institutions. In sports where the teams play more than once (such as basketball, baseball and softball) one game for each team is designated to count as a Star Game. Saturday’s events were designated Star Games for the 2024-25 academic year.
In the Women’s game, Army (18-5, 10-3 in the Patriot League) had a plan that started off poorly but ultimately resulted in a 68-64 victory. Head coach Missy Traversi made sure her team knew that stopping the top scorer for Navy (15-9, 7-6), sophomore guard Zanai Barnett-Gay who was averaging 20.0 points per game and had become the fastest Navy women’s player to ever reach 1,000 career points, would be a key step to achieving victory. In the game, strong Army defensive coverage kept Barnett-Gay from scoring a field goal in the first half and she headed to intermission with just a pair of free throws to her credit.
What Army did not expect was another Navy player to seize the opportunity to lead the midshipmen. That player was freshman guard Juliana Almeida, who played the best game of her short career, scoring a game-high 25 points while adding 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal. The game began with Army’s Reese Ericson nailing a three-pointer, but the Black Knights turned cold for the remainder of the quarter. While they contained Barnett-Gay, the other Midshipmen all seemed to find the scoring touch as Navy took a 26-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the performances were reversed and the contest was knotted 33-33 at the break.After the break, the two teams adjusted. Navy’s Almeida scored the final 10 of her points in the third quarter as Navy took at 55-53 lead, but strong Army defense shut down Almeida in the final frame and Barnett-Gay, who seven down the stretch and finished with 15 points, was virtually the only Midshipmen to score in the last 10 minutes. The hosts were shut out for the final 1:57.
cont'd >
Three weeks ago, Army and Navy played each other in a basketball double header at West Point’s Christl Arena. On that day, the Army women won 59-49 and the Navy men won 66-53. On Saturday, the two teams from both service academies met again and the scores were closer, but the end results were the same.
The games at Annapolis carried a greater importance than those on the banks of the Hudson River. Each year, the two academies compete in more than 40 sports as part of the Star Games, a cumulative tabulation of the results of those competitions for bragging rights among the institutions. In sports where the teams play more than once (such as basketball, baseball and softball) one game for each team is designated to count as a Star Game. Saturday’s events were designated Star Games for the 2024-25 academic year.
In the Women’s game, Army (18-5, 10-3 in the Patriot League) had a plan that started off poorly but ultimately resulted in a 68-64 victory. Head coach Missy Traversi made sure her team knew that stopping the top scorer for Navy (15-9, 7-6), sophomore guard Zanai Barnett-Gay who was averaging 20.0 points per game and had become the fastest Navy women’s player to ever reach 1,000 career points, would be a key step to achieving victory. In the game, strong Army defensive coverage kept Barnett-Gay from scoring a field goal in the first half and she headed to intermission with just a pair of free throws to her credit.
What Army did not expect was another Navy player to seize the opportunity to lead the midshipmen. That player was freshman guard Juliana Almeida, who played the best game of her short career, scoring a game-high 25 points while adding 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal. The game began with Army’s Reese Ericson nailing a three-pointer, but the Black Knights turned cold for the remainder of the quarter. While they contained Barnett-Gay, the other Midshipmen all seemed to find the scoring touch as Navy took a 26-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the performances were reversed and the contest was knotted 33-33 at the break.After the break, the two teams adjusted. Navy’s Almeida scored the final 10 of her points in the third quarter as Navy took at 55-53 lead, but strong Army defense shut down Almeida in the final frame and Barnett-Gay, who seven down the stretch and finished with 15 points, was virtually the only Midshipmen to score in the last 10 minutes. The hosts were shut out for the final 1:57.
cont'd >
As in the first meeting between the two squads, Army was led by two-way star Kya Smith; the sophomore forward scored a team-high 19 points and added a game-high 12 rebounds. Down the stretch, senior guard Trinity Hardy (13 points) hit a layup with 1:02 remaining to give the Black knights a 66-64 advantage. Smith added two free throws in the final 0:03 to provide the final margin.
The men’s game was also a see-saw battle led by the smart, sharp shooting guards of both teams. Navy (10-17, 7-7) wound up taking the 61-54 win as junior Austin Benigni scored a game-high 21 points and added 3 assists. Sophomore guard Jordan Pennick added 17 points and 5 rebounds.
Army was led by senior guard Jaylen Rucker (team-high 18 points and 2 assists after going scoreless as he struggled with an injury in the first meeting), senior forward A.J. Allenspach (14 points, 8 rebounds), and sophomore Ryan Curry (10 points, 7 rebounds).
The game was close until the final minute. After Allenspach hit a pair of free throws to cut the Navy lead to 55-54 with 1:01 on the clock, Navy took possession and junior center Aidan Kehoe, a 30-pct. free-throw shooter, was fouled with 0:50 remaining. Kehoe missed his first free throw, but the ball clanked off the right front of the rim and landed within reach of junior forward Donovan Draper (9 points, 5 rebounds), an 80-pct. shooter from the charity stripe. He sank both free throws, putting Army in the position of having to foul Navy players and hope for open three-pointers. Benigni (who was sinking 88 percent of his free throws) hit one and Pennick added a pair while Army’s wild long-distance efforts failed to find the mark.
Both teams resume play on Wednesday. Navy will travel to Colgate and Army will host American University.
(-CaMMVets Media-)
Army was led by senior guard Jaylen Rucker (team-high 18 points and 2 assists after going scoreless as he struggled with an injury in the first meeting), senior forward A.J. Allenspach (14 points, 8 rebounds), and sophomore Ryan Curry (10 points, 7 rebounds).
The game was close until the final minute. After Allenspach hit a pair of free throws to cut the Navy lead to 55-54 with 1:01 on the clock, Navy took possession and junior center Aidan Kehoe, a 30-pct. free-throw shooter, was fouled with 0:50 remaining. Kehoe missed his first free throw, but the ball clanked off the right front of the rim and landed within reach of junior forward Donovan Draper (9 points, 5 rebounds), an 80-pct. shooter from the charity stripe. He sank both free throws, putting Army in the position of having to foul Navy players and hope for open three-pointers. Benigni (who was sinking 88 percent of his free throws) hit one and Pennick added a pair while Army’s wild long-distance efforts failed to find the mark.
Both teams resume play on Wednesday. Navy will travel to Colgate and Army will host American University.
(-CaMMVets Media-)