Navy vs Florida | NCAA Women's Basketball | 11.16.25

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland — November 16th, 2025 Fair Use Notice: The Women’s Basketball Alliance (WBA) highlights are shared under Fair Use as transformative content for educational, promotional, and analytical purposes. By curating and presenting condensed game footage, we provide commentary, foster public engagement, and promote the growth of women’s basketball. For copyright concerns, contact us at [email protected], all claims will be reviewed promptly. Written by NavySports.com Faced with the daunting task of trying to contain an undefeated Florida team that was averaging 94.3 points per game, while rolling over opponents by 42 a contest, the Navy women's basketball team was locked in for 40 minutes and entered its name in the program record book with a convincing 69-54 victory at Alumni Hall on Sunday. The Mids (3-0) showcased a well-balanced attack and a style of play that executed on both ends of the court as four players finished with eight or more points, while holding the Gators (4-1) to just 28.8 percent shooting from the field and 19.2 percent from three-point range. The victory on Sunday was the program's first over an SEC foe since Dec. 20, 1998 when it defeated Ole Miss at home as part of that season's Navy Classic. All-time, this was the Mids' fourth-ever win over a team from a Power 4 conference as they earlier knocked off the Baylor Bears, 81-17 on Jan. 1, 1993, Ole Miss in 1998 and Clemson on Nov. 9, 2019. Zanai Barnett-Gay (Jr., Glenn Dale, Md.) led all players with 22 points to go along with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Zoe Mesuch (Fr., Clintondale, N.Y.) provided the Mids' with explosive first half scoring with 5-6 shooting from three-point range for 15 points. Julianna Almeida (So., North Arlington, N.J.) filled up the box score with 12 points, seven rebounds and a career-high eight assists. Matched up against taller opposition, Morgan Demos (Sr., Downers Grove, Ill.) dominated the glass with a game-high 12 rebounds, while netting eight points and posting a +29 plus-minus statistic. "Hats off to Coach Daniel [Villarreal]," remarked head coach Tim Taylor. "We sat down this week and he came through with a great game plan. He saw some things on film and made suggestions; it was a phenomenal game plan. We did a lot of things today that we typically try not to do, so for our kids to execute that in two days shows a lot of growth. We rolled with a lot of freshmen and sophomores out there at important times. "This win is big. I know they didn't have Liv McGill today, but still to beat an SEC team. Hats off to Florida for coming up to Annapolis. You have to respect that as a lot of teams don't want to head out on the road and play mid-majors. "It means a lot for our seniors. Think about what they went through as freshmen, they were 1-29. I always go back to how that team and those players never quit, they kept believing, they kept fighting and made the ultimate sacrifice. Our captain Maren Louridas did not play today because she had to miss two days of practice because she's a Rhodes Scholar finalist. She will be right back in the starting lineup on Wednesday. She's a great leader and a great teammate. She sacrifices a lot for us. I tip my cap to her. She was leading the bench; that was to key to everything." The action on Sunday opened with a brief Florida lead as Me'Arah O'Neal knocked home a three-pointer for the Gators on their first possession of the game. After finding their footing offensively, Barnett-Gay got the Mids on the scoreboard at 7:21 with a driving layup off a Demos pass. From that juncture, the three-ball sparked Navy to an eventual 13-0 run. The next three times down the court, Navy was clutch from long range as Barnett-Gay made the team's first three-pointer before Mesuch entered her name in the scoring column with consecutive treys at 6:25 and 5:53. Almeida rounded out the 13-0 run with a second-chance layup after Barnett-Gay hustled for an offensive rebound and found her backcourt mate for the easy basket. With the score 13-3, Florida turned the tide its favor with 13 straight points of its own to re-take the lead 16-13 by the 1:18 mark. Mesuch sank her third three-pointer of the stanza to end the Mids' scoring lull and draw her squad even at 16-16. The teams exchanged made baskets over the final 52 seconds of the quarter to leave the score 18-18 through 10 minutes of play. Read More: https://navysports.com/news/2025/11/1...