Navy women’s basketball had never played in the Patriot League Tournament championship game prior to the arrival of Stefanie Pemper as head coach.

The Midshipmen will be making their fifth finals appearance in the span of a decade under Pemper’s guidance.

Pemper credits pride and tradition for that consistent success. Navy captured three consecutive Patriot League championships in 2011, 2012 and 2013. That remarkable run set a standard that subsequent teams have sought to match.

That helps explain why, for the second straight season, a Navy squad that was not highly regarded in preseason is playing for the Patriot League Tournament title.

“We have created a tradition of believing we can win and I do think there is a lot of that wrapped up in this,” Pemper said. “We seem to step up in the postseason and I’m sure that past history plays a big part.”

Third-seeded Navy (25-6) will seek its fourth conference crown in Pemper’s 10-year tenure when it takes on top-seeded American (25-6) on Sunday morning (11 a.m.) at Bender Arena. The winner receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

This culminates a season-long quest for Navy, which lost to Bucknell in last year’s Patriot League Tournament final.

“It feels really good. After losing in the championship game last year, to be able to get back to this point and have chance to redeem ourselves is very rewarding. We’re all really excited that we have this opportunity,” Navy senior guard Taylor Dunham said.

History is against Navy on a lot of levels going into Sunday’s contest, which will be televised by the CBS Sports Network. First and foremost, the No. 1 seed has posted a 19-1 record in the championship game. Also, the home team boasts a 23-2 record in the championship game. Meanwhile, the Midshipmen are 0-5 against the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament.

None of that matters to this year’s team, which seems to be peaking at the right time. Navy is coming off its best performance of the season and it produced a 68-62 upset of second-seeded Bucknell on Tuesday. The Bison, who had swept the regular season series with the Mids, never led on their home court and had every rally rebuffed.

“I’ve had this sense that these women want to perform on a big stage. It is fun at the end of the season to see people step up and do things you know they are capable of doing,” Pemper said. “Some of the words our women have said in meetings and huddles lately have been so inspirational. We’re definitely getting their best both on and off the court.”

American and Navy are both seeking a storybook ending to special seasons. Both programs have set school records for victories in a season, not bad considering the Eagles and Midshipmen were picked third and fourth, respectively, in the Patriot League presesason poll.

bwagner@capgaznews.com

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