ANNAPOLIS, Md. – In the second game of the 2020-21 season the Navy women's basketball team ran into a fast-starting Richmond Spider squad that scored 22 points in the first quarter on Wednesday at the Robins Center. Turnover issues throughout the non-conference game plagued the Mids' (0-2) multiple comeback attempts as the visitors eventually fell by a score of 65-49 in favor of the Spiders (1-1).
 
Coming off a career-best 26-point performance at George Mason on Sunday, Sophie Gatzounas (Sr., South Hadley, Mass.) once again fronted Navy's offensive production as she netted a game-high 20 points on 7-11 field goal shooting. She also added a team-high nine rebounds in 39 minutes of action. Kolbi Green (Jr., Baltimore, Md.) was second on the team in scoring as she finished with nine points, while grabbing five rebounds and tallying four assists.
 
"I think this was a game where Richmond really sped us up and got into passing lanes. We did not handle the pressure consistently enough in our execution on the offensive end," remarked head coach Tim Taylor. "When we got settled and executed, we were able to get some quality baskets.
 
"We were a little shorthanded tonight and Richmond's depth wore us down. I am seeing growth in certain areas that may not be indicative of the final score tonight. This group kept fighting and played hard for 40 minutes; I'm really proud of that characteristic. As we continue to practice, get healthy and play more games, I am excited to see the growth that we will show later in the season."
 
The game began with the Spiders shooting lights out from long range with four three-pointers in the first 3:40 of play to go up 16-6. Over the next two-plus minutes, the Mids scored seven unanswered points to make it 16-13 when Ciera Hertelendy (Jr., Inwood, W.Va.) took a Green pass for an uncontested layup at 3:33. The keen long distance marksmanship by Richmond continued over the final three minutes as the Spiders knocked down two more treys to re-extend their lead out to 22-17 by the end of the first period. For the opening period, Richmond shot 6-11 from three-point range.
 
The second quarter opened nearly even as the Mids netted six points versus five for the host Spiders. Gatzounas scored all six points for Navy, including a three-pointer from the wing at 4:48 to make it 27-23 in favor of Richmond. After that point in play where the Mids cut their deficit to four points, the Spiders rattled off a 7-2 run to go up 34-25 at 1:52. Each team made a free throw down the stretch to send the game to halftime with the score 35-26. Navy's ability to stay even closer to Richmond in the first half was held back by its struggle with ball control as the Mids were charged with 17 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Similar to the second stanza, the teams were evenly matched to begin the third quarter as each scored nine points through the first five minutes as the game advanced to 44-35 by the 5:01 mark. Sydne Watts (Fr., Canton, Ga.) was at the center of Navy's offensive success in this stretch as she made layups on back-to-back possessions. Both defenses buckled down over the second half of the frame as Richmond made just two field goals over the final 4:05, while Navy countered with one, a Gatzounas layup with five seconds remaining.
 
Coming out for the fourth quarter down 49-38, the Mids fought to keep their deficit in single digits as baskets by Kristina Donza (Fr., Jackson, N.J.) and Gatzounas each flipped the score from 11 down to nine at 8:44 and 7:22, respectively. The Spiders made sure that the game would never get closer than that nine-point margin as they broke away over the next 4:04 with 14 of the next 17 points to advance the scoreboard from 51-42 to 65-45. The Mids held the Spiders scoreless over the final 3:18 and were able to shave four points off the final score as Green deposited a pair of layups to send the game final at 65-49.
 
For the contest, Richmond outshot Navy, 41.1 percent (23-56) to 36.2 (17-47) from the field, as well as at the line with a 75.0 percent (9-12) to 60.0 (12-20) advantage. Both teams were nearly equal from three-point range as the Mids shot 30.3 percent (10-33) versus 30.0 percent (3-10) for the Mids.
 
In the rebounding battle, Navy edged Richmond, 35-33. Gatzounas led the Mids with nine boards with Morganne Andrews (Fr., Martinsburg, W.Va.) aiding the cause with six rebounds.
 
Defensively, Navy forced Richmond into 21 turnovers and were credited with nine steals. Green posted a team-high four thefts. On the opposite side of the ledger, Richmond turned Navy over 30 times on 10 steals.
 
Following today's action the Mids will take the next 10 days off for final exams. Navy will be back on the court on Sunday, Dec. 13 at William & Mary. Tip-off between the Mids and Tribe is set for 3 p.m.