ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy women's basketball kicked off its 2019-20 season with well-rounded team performance versus Stevenson University on Tuesday evening at Alumni Hall as the Mids notched a 70-36 victory. Known for their defensive intensity, the Mids (1-0) came out on Tuesday and displayed how uncomfortable they can make opponents feel as the Mustangs turned the ball over 31 times and were blocked on five other occasions. It wasn't just the defensive side of the ball that was ticking for Navy in its season opener as the team's offense connected on 43.1 percent of its shots and assisted on 18 made baskets.
 
Kolbi Green (So., Baltimore, Md.), Mary Kate Ulasewicz (Sr., Doylestown, Pa.) and Montana Braxton (Sr., Cape Elizabeth, Maine) were standouts for the Mids on Tuesday as the trio all showcased different skill sets. Green was the game's high-scorer with 21 points on 9-16 shooting, while Ulasewicz finished with a line of nine assists, six rebounds, four points and three steals. Braxton offered Navy a strong defensive presence with eight rebounds, four steals and one block.
 
"We came out tonight trying to establish some type of organization that leads to rhythm, so taking care of the ball, executing and making shots," remarked head coach Stefanie Pemper. "We were a little up-and-down in that aspect. We had three seniors in our starting lineup, which is really cool, but two of them had not played a lot of minutes. I really liked what MK [Ulasewicz] and Montana are doing and how dialed in they are and how much they want our team to succeed. They're extremely coachable and they're a joy to work with. I'm really excited that we got them minutes and got this result. We're trying to develop chemistry. Montana is unique; if we can get some players, who can shoot around her, she's going to have some assists. She passes the ball real well and can work the inside-out game.
 
"Overall, we are a little inexperienced. Jennifer Coleman was out tonight so we looked a little different from that standpoint tonight. I really liked what I saw out of Mimi Schrader. She's selfless, moves the ball well, moves it with speed and timing. She's good for our organization along with Kolbi and MK. We had enough ballhandlers on the floor without Jenn. We got to see a lot of people off of our bench tonight. Jasmine Bishop came on in the second half and played well."
 
The Mids found success from distance early on as Green and Morgan Taylor (Sr., Evans, Ga.) sank three-pointers in the opening 3:37 of play on Tuesday. With Navy trailing 7-6, Mimi Schrader (Fr., Plymouth, Minn.) made an immediate impact as she checked in at 5:57 and eight seconds later went coast-to-coast for a layup to give the Mids the lead. Taylor's trey and Schrader's layup sparked a larger 13-0 run that helped Navy run out to 16-7 advantage by the end of the first quarter. During that span, Laurel Jaunich (Sr., Charlotte, Vt.) netted six points for the hosts.
 
The Mids extended their run out to 15-0 as they went up 18-7 by the 9:04 mark of the second quarter. After Stevenson briefly cut its deficit to single digits with a 5-2 run, Navy turned a 20-12 score into a 29-12 margin by 4:21. A trio of Mids recorded field goals to spearhead the attack, Ulasewicz, Lindsay Llewellyn (Fr., North East, Md.) and Green twice. After the Mustangs' Kirstin Higgins stopped the run at 3:29 to make it 29-14, the Mids registered the final three baskets of the half. Green's fast break layup at 1:27 was especially memorable as Ulasewicz came down with the rebound and quickly fired a pass deep into Stevenson's zone to a streaking Green.
 
Ahead on the scoreboard 35-14 at the half, Navy was holding a lead in field goal shooting, 35.7 percent (15-42) to 20.7 (6-29). The Mids' defense was particularly pesky as the Mustangs turned the ball over 16 times in the opening 20 minutes. Green was the game's high-scorer with 14 points on 6-10 shooting. In her first collegiate start, Ulasewicz ran Navy's offense with precision on the strength of five first-half assists over 13 minutes of play.
 
Up 21 coming out of the locker room to start the third quarter, Navy kept the pressure on Stevenson and scored the first 10 points of the period. Sophie Gatzounas (Jr., South Hadley, Mass.) was pivotal in this stretch with six points of her own. Stevenson ended an 8:06 scoreless streak at 5:23 with a Karleigh Leo three-pointer from the corner to make it 45-17. Over the next five-plus minutes, the action was nearly equal with Navy scoring nine points and Stevenson answering with eight of their own.
 
The fourth quarter opened with Navy up 54-25. The hosts' lead fluctuated between 28 and 35 points for the final 10 minutes of regulation. Llewellyn, Schrader and Jasmine Bishop (Jr., Twinsburg, Ohio) all recorded four points in the fourth quarter to head the Mids' offensive output.
 
In the 70-36 victory, Navy outshot Stevenson, 43 percent (31-72) to 29 percent (14-19). Conversely, the Mustangs connected on 54 percent (7-13) of their three-point attempts, while the Mids were just 3-16 from distance for a 19 percent clip.
 
On the glass, Navy out-rebounded Stevenson, 43-35 with a 15-8 advantage in offensive boards. Four different Mids had five or more total rebounds led by Braxton's career-high eight. Jaunich (7), Ulasewicz (6) and Green (5) were also strong on the boards for Navy.
 
Defensively, Navy caused 31 Stevenson turnovers and were credited with 20 steals. The Midshipmen post duo of Braxton and Jaunich were at the forefront of this effort as Braxton had a game-high four steals, in addition to Jaunich's three thefts. Taylor, Ulasewicz and Llewellyn also had three steals in the contest. Navy's defense also added five blocks.
 
Navy's ball-handling was solid on Monday as the team had a positive 18:14 assist-to-turnover ratio. Ulasewicz completed her strong all-around game with a career-high nine assists in 22 minutes of game action.
 
"We're looking to take the next step as a team with these upcoming road games," said Pemper. "We're going to go out there and give it our best. We're looking to settle in on our rotation a little bit. Lindsay Llewellyn, a freshman, got a lot of minutes tonight. Imani Edmonds was out and like Jenn, they're both part of our rotation if healthy. The senior class is going to be so important to our season. Laurel, who has the most experience came off the bench tonight. If we can go to Clemson and Carolina and really compete, really come together and have that camaraderie, and see if our seniors can establish some rhythm and chemistry with players like Sophie, Kolbi and Mimi, that'd be pretty cool. We're really going to be challenged."
 
The Mids will head away from Annapolis on a four-game road trip starting this weekend with a pair of games versus ACC foes. First up is a Saturday afternoon tilt at Clemson. Action between the Mids and Tigers is set for 1 p.m. Navy will close its trip down south with a Monday night contest at North Carolina at 7 p.m. in Chapel Hill, N.C.