Final Stats

ANNAPOLIS, Md. â€"â€" An 8-11 effort from three-point range in the first half staked the Navy women's basketball team to a double-digit lead at intermission in an eventual 76-41 victory over Lafayette Saturday night at Alumni Hall in Annapolis. The victory was the fifth in a row for the Mids (12-5, 5-1 Patriot League) while the Leopards (1-17, 0-6) remained winless in league play with the loss.

Navy was 5-6 (83.3%) from three-point land in the first quarter to take a 19-13 advantage through the opening frame. The Mids would hold the Leopards to just two made field goals in the second quarter (2-14, 14.3%) to extend their lead out to 37-21 at the halftime break. Navy not only made three of its five three-point attempts in the second stanza, the Mids also made five of their six free throw attempts in the quarter.

"I thought we came out really focused," said Navy head coach Stefanie Pemper, "and so did they (Lafayette). Then we started hitting and getting some stops."

Four different Mids made at least one triple in the first half, with Hannah Fenske (Jr., Albuquerque, N.M.) draining all three of her attempts to pace the team with nine points.

Navy as a team has made 17 of its 25 (68.0%) three-point attempts in the first half of its last two games (9-14 Wednesday vs. Loyola). That has allowed the Mids to outscore those two foes 85-39 in the first half.

Both offenses struggled a bit in the third quarter as the teams combined for just 21 points (12 by Navy), which by the end of it made the score 49-30 in favor of the Mids. Navy then scored on six of its first seven possessions of the final quarter to begin it on a 15-4 run that gave the Mids a 64-34 advantage.

Navy ended the game 12-23 (52.2%) from three-point range on the night. The Mids have now made at least 10 triples in three-straight games and in seven games on the season. Navy also was 16-29 (55.2%) in its two-point attempts in the game for an overall shooting night of 53.8 percent from the field, and made 8-10 (80%) free throw attempts.

Defensively, the Mids limited the Leopards to 25 percent shooting from the floor, which included a 2-12 (16.7%) effort from three-point range.

"They (Lafayette) are struggling a bit with finding an identity with consistency and rhythm," said Pemper, "so we might have gotten them on a good night, if you will."

The Leopards won the battle of the boards, 39-34, which included a 20-7 edge in offensive rebounds. That allowed Lafayette to hold a 14-7 advantage in second chance points. That, however, was balanced out by Navy accruing 17 points after the 19 turnovers it forced the Leopards into, while Lafayette scored just four points after the 13 turnovers committed by the Mids.

The 35-point win ties the Navy record for the largest margin of victory posted by the Mids in a Patriot League regular season game. The Mids also won by 35 points over Lehigh in 1997.

All 11 Mids on the roster played, and all 11 scored.

"Last year we didn't have any games like this," said Pemper, where the entire roster could play. "Maybe things cycle around. It is great to be able to have everyone play in a league game and contribute when they are on the floor."

Molly Sanders (So., Ames, Iowa) was 4-6 from three-point range in totaling a Navy-high 14 points on the night. That is her highest point tally in a Patriot League game in her two-year career. Sanders edged Fenske for the scoring honors by one point. Fenske was 4-5 from downtown while also adding five rebounds and four assists.

Additionally, Laurel Jaunich (Fr., Charlotte, Vt.) was a perfect 5-5 from the field to tie her season high of 10 points, Kaila Clark (Fr., Hughesville, Md.) totaled nine points, six rebounds and three blocked shots, and Taylor Dunham (Jr., Fort Belvoir, Va.) contributed nine points and five assists.

"Laurel was terrific tonight," said Pemper.

The efforts of Sanders and Jaunich allowed Navy's bench to total 40 of the team's 76 points in the game.

"Definitely the way we are starting," said Sanders on Navy's strong shooting efforts this week. "Our whole starting five can shoot the ball well and get things going. Once you come in, you don't want to let that energy drop. It is all about doing it for each other. That really helps.

"We feel like we can do some really special things as a team."

Olivia Gumbs and Harriett Ottewell-Soulsby each recorded double-doubles for Lafayette. Gumbs finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Ottewell-Soulsby had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Navy will take to the road for its next three games. That road swing begins with a Wednesday night game at Lehigh.