LEWISBURG, Pa. (Interstat) — The Navy women’s basketball team used a dominant second-quarter surge to secure a decisive 77-51 victory over Bucknell in a Patriot League matchup Wednesday night at Sojka Pavilion.

The Midshipmen, who improved to 8-6 overall, outscored the Bison 21-6 in the pivotal second period, turning a narrow 17-18 deficit after one quarter into a commanding 38-24 halftime lead. Navy never looked back, extending its advantage throughout the second half to cruise to the conference road win. Bucknell fell to 4-10.

The game’s most critical sequence occurred during that second-quarter explosion. After a tightly contested first period that featured five ties and three lead changes, Navy’s defense locked down completely. The Midshipmen held Bucknell without a field goal for the first 7 minutes and 54 seconds of the quarter, forcing a series of turnovers and contested shots. During that drought, Navy embarked on a 20-2 run that fundamentally decided the contest.

Zoe Mesuch, a 5-foot-5 guard from Clintondale, New York, led all scorers with 15 points for Navy, adding two assists in 32 minutes. She was instrumental in the first-half run, hitting a key three-pointer and creating disruption defensively. Forward Quinn Boettinger of Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, provided a massive spark off the bench, scoring all 13 of her points in the first half on efficient 6-of-8 shooting, while also contributing a block and several key rebounds during the game-changing stretch.

Navy’s offensive engine was guard Zanai Barnett-Gay from Glenn Dale, Maryland, who orchestrated the attack with 10 points and a game-high seven assists. Julianna Almeida of North Arlington, New Jersey, also reached double figures with 12 points. The Midshipmen’s depth was evident as Saran Moschella added eight points and Mary Gibbons chipped in nine.

For Bucknell, which was projected as a slight favorite by advanced metrics, the offensive struggles proved insurmountable. The Bison shot just 30.2% from the floor for the game. Desirae Ashton of Fredericksburg, Virginia, led the home team with seven points in only four minutes of action, all coming late in the fourth quarter. Tuana Coskun from Istanbul, Turkey, finished with nine points and two blocks, while Reese Zemitis of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, added eight points.

Navy capitalized on Bucknell’s mistakes, scoring 20 points off 18 Bison turnovers, compared to 11 points off turnovers for Bucknell. The Midshipmen also controlled the interior, outscoring Bucknell 30-26 in the paint and out-rebounding them 45-35.

The victory marks a positive start to the Patriot League slate for Navy following a loss to Holy Cross in their conference opener. For Bucknell, the loss extends a difficult stretch in which they have now dropped three consecutive league games.

The announced attendance was 268.

Navy next travels to face Lafayette on Saturday. Bucknell will look to rebound on the road at Loyola Maryland, also on Saturday.