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ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Balance throughout the box score added up to a 73-68 victory by the Navy women's basketball team over Iona Monday night at Alumni Hall. Five Mids (2-2) scored in double figures, five had at least three rebounds, five had at least two assists and five had at least one steal in the victory over the Gaels (2-2) who appeared in the 2016 NCAA Tournament as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament champions.

"Big win," said Navy head coach Stefanie Pemper. "I just love that we received contributions from a lot of people. Having balance is something we are going to have to do this season."

Navy had a slow start to the game offensively as the Mids fell behind 15-5 midway through the opening period of play. The deficit was quickly whittled down to two points before a late jumper gave Iona a 19-15 advantage at the end of the first quarter. There wasn't much scoring for either team in the second quarter 18 points in all but by the time the stanza ended Navy had itself a 27-25 lead.

Hannah Fenske (Jr., Albuquerque, N.M.) extended the lead out to 30-25 when she drilled a three-point shot on Navy's first possession of the second half. The Gaels answered with a 7-0 run that gave them a 32-30 lead with 7:50 still to play in the frame. Navy responded with a 9-1 run that gave it a 39-33 advantage, and soon built a 48-39 lead with 2:39 left in the third quarter after back-to-back triples from Molly Sanders (So., Ames, Iowa) and Sarita Condie (Sr., Lovelock, Nev.).

"That Molly-Sarita lineup came in and did well," said Pemper in pinpointing one reason for the turnaround. "Kaila Clark (Fr., Hughesville, Md.) and Bianca Roach (So., Virginia Beach, Va.) with them. They gave us a nice spurt."

Navy went into the start of the final period of play nursing a 50-46 lead, but it soon became a 56-46 advantage after Clark accounted for the next six points of the game on a jumper, a layup and a pair of free throws. The cushion grew to 12 points when Taylor Dunham (Jr., Fort Belvoir, Va.) drained Navy's 10th three-point field goal of the game with 6:39 showing on the clock.

The margin was 11 points,63-52, following a pair of free throws by Justice Swett (Sr., Nashville, Tenn.) with 3:56 still to play, but it became a four-point game, 63-59," less than two minutes later when 2016 MAAC Pre-Season Player of the Year Marina Lizarazu made consecutive jumpers for the Gaels.

Clark was fouled on Navy's ensuing possession, and though she missed both attempts from the foul line she grabbed her own errant second shot and was fouled immediately. This time she converted both attempts to make the score 65-59 with 1:42 left to play. Swett picked Lizarazu's pocket to end the next Iona possession, and Lizarazu fouled Swett before she could break away. Swett made both attempts to push the lead to eight, 67-59, with 1:26 remaining.

Iona was able to slice the margin down to as few as four points, 68-64, after a three-point field goal from Lizarazu with 37.7 seconds still to play. Roach and Ashanti Kennedy (Sr., Virginia Beach, Va.) both made one-of-two attempts from the foul line, with their respective efforts sandwiched around a turnover by Iona. It was back to a four-point game, 70-66, after Tori Lesko made two free throws of her own with 17.2 seconds left. Kennedy was fouled after receiving the inbounds pass, and she made both attempts to increase the lead back to six points, 72-66, with 15.9 seconds still on the clock.

Lizarazu drove down the heart of the lane and scored with 8.9 seconds left to make the score 72-68, then Clark was fouled with 6.8 seconds still to go. She made the first free throw and missed the second, but Kennedy was there for the board to help seal the victory.

Navy was 10-21 from three-point land to reach double figures in three-point field goals made for the third time in four games this year. The Mids as a whole shot 37.7 percent from the field. Iona shot 44.3 percent from the field and made more field goals than Navy, 27-23, but the Gaels were just 6-15 from three-point range. Navy struggled a little from the foul line as it connected on just 58.6 percent of its attempts, but the quantity of free throws made up for their overall percentage. The Mids were 17-29 from the charity stripe while the Gaels were 8-11.

Iona also held a 48-32 edge in rebounds, but the Mids scored 23 points after the 25 turnovers by the Gaels while Iona scored jut eight points after the 15 turnovers committed by Navy.

"We worked on it (breaking the press) this week," said Pemper, "and just trying to advance it and show them where there are numerical breaks with three-on-two advantages if you turn and attack. It was nice to see that."

Swett notched a new career high with 15 points on the night to lead the Mids, while also adding five rebounds and four steals. She was joined in double figures by 13 from Dunham, 11 from Condie and Clark and 10 from Kennedy. Clark paced Navy in both rebounds, blocks and steals with nine, five and five, respectively, with Dunham and Condie each dishing our four assists.

"We've been trying to push the tempo and play a lot of players this season," said Swett. "I like it a lot (the faster pace). We're moving in transition and scoring more points.

"Kaila is such an athlete," said Swett. "She can get to places much faster than others. Using her length and her speed will help her a lot."

Both Lizarazu and Alexis Lewis had 21 points to lead the Gaels, with Lewis adding 14 rebounds.

"We knew Iona is a really good team and Lizarazu is a really good player," said Pemper. "We had to do a decent job on her."

Navy now takes to the road for its next three games, the first two of which will be played Friday and Saturday at the Nugget Classic in Reno, Nev. The Mids, who are making the trip to allow Condie to play a game near her hometown of Lovelock, Nev., will face tournament-host Nevada Friday and either Arkansas or Memphis Saturday.