ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The 2022-23 season for the Navy women's basketball team begins on Monday on the road at William & Mary. Coming off an exciting postseason run that saw the team knock off the top-seeded Crusaders of Holy Cross in the Patriot League Quarterfinals and battling with Bucknell in the league semifinals, Navy starts a new era on Monday as it welcomes an eight-women freshmen class to the world of collegiate basketball. The Mids' 29-game regular season schedule consists of 11 non-conference matchups in November and December before Patriot League action kicks off in late December. Tip-off between Navy and William & Mary is set for 5 p.m. at Kaplan Arena on the Tribes' campus. The action in Williamsburg will be streamed live on FloHoops with live stats available through NavySports.com. Additionally, WNAV will be hosting a live audio broadcast available over the radio waves on 99.9 FM or 1430 AM or online at WNAV.com.

FloHoops is a subscription-based streaming service that requires patrons to sign-up for monthly or yearly plans prior to tuning into the contest.

Breaking Down the 2022-23 Mids
This season's edition of the Midshipmen will be looking to gain important experience in the non-conference portion of its schedule before fighting to prove the voters in the Patriot League preseason poll wrong. Picked 10th in the league's polling of coaches and media, third-year head coach Tim Taylor and his Navy squad are extremely young with nine underclassmen, eight of whom are freshmen. Offseason injuries to two of their three seniors will add to the Mids' youthfulness on the court to start the 2022-23 season. Statistically, the losses of graduating seniors Honorable Mention AP All-American Jennifer Coleman and then-team captain Ciera Hertelendy have led Navy to return just 41.5 percent (708 of 1,708 pts) of its scoring from 2021-22 and 51.1 percent (557 of 1,089 rbs) of its rebounding.

Senior Class
Navy's Class of 2023 will be leaned upon heavily in the leadership department as over half of its roster will be playing its first collegiate contests. In the offseason, Mimi Schrader was voted to serve as the Mids' team captain in 2022-23. Appearing in all 31 games for Navy as a junior last season, Schrader started 10 times, including the semifinals of the 2022 Patriot League Tournament. An active defender and controlled play-maker, Schrader averaged 25.1 minutes of action per game and netted 4.0 points per contest. She reached double-figures in scoring in four different games as a junior with a career-high of 18 at Colgate on Jan. 12 ... Navy's starting small forward throughout most of the 2021-22 season, Lindsay Llewellyn averaged 6.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 29.7 minutes per game over 27 appearances and 23 starts. She began her junior season fast with 13 points in her first game of the year at Maryland Eastern Shore on Dec. 5 before recording outings of nine, 14 and 11 over her next three games. Unfortunately for Llewellyn and the Mids, an offseason injury will potentially sideline her into the second half of the 2022-23 campaign ... The third member of Navy's Class of 2023 is Imani Edmonds. An athletic guard that appeared in 14 games with starts in eight of those contests in 2021-22, Edmonds was in the midst of a breakthrough season as she scored eight points against both Georgetown on Nov. 9 and Vermont on Nov. 20 and grabbed five or more rebounds in four of Navy's initial seven games as a junior. Edmonds' season was cut short at the beginning of Patriot League play in January and she was sidelined with an injury over the final two-plus months of the season. Similar to Llewellyn, Edmonds was unable to avoid the injury bug this offseason and doesn't currently have a timeline to potentially return in 2022-23.

Junior Class
Lining up as the most influential on-court class outside of its vaunted freshmen class, the trio of Sydne Watts, Morganne Andrews and Sam Schofield will represent the Class of 2024 for this Mids this season. Breaking out as Navy's second scoring option behind Coleman last season, Watts will be leaned upon heavily early as the Mids' leading returner in terms of points, rebounds and minutes played. Appearing in all 31 games with 28 starts in the front court, Watts got better as the year played out as she went from scoring 7.9 points per game in non-conference action to 10.8 points against Patriot League foes. For the entire year, she finished with averages of 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 29.9 minutes per game. Watts scored 18 or more points in four separate contests last year with season-highs of 20 points versus Boston Univ. on Jan. 15 and at American on Jan. 29 ... The recipient of the program's Most Improved Award for 2021-22, Andrews was a consistent post presence for Navy throughout her sophomore campaign. Seeing time in 30 of the Mids' 31 games last season, Andrews averaged 13.6 minutes of action per contest as the first post off the bench. She left her mark in both matchups versus Army last year as she went for six points and seven rebounds against the Black Knights in Annapolis on Jan. 22 before netting six more points in the second game of the service academy rivalry at West Point on Feb. 12 ... A three-point specialist, Schofield continued to shoot when her name was called as 11 of her 16 total field goal attempts as a sophomore in 2021-22 were from three-point range. For her career, the Ohio native has taken 32 shots with 22 coming from distance. In her 11 appearances off the bench last year, she made three three-pointers.

Sophomore Class
Savanna Lewis represents the lone sophomore on Navy's 2022-23 roster. A long and active forward for the Mids, Lewis had an up-and-down freshmen campaign as she assimilated to the collegiate game. Seeing the court in 14 total games in 2021-22, Lewis was called upon most frequently in non-conference play as she played in seven of Navy's 10 non-league games in November and December. Her breakthrough performance came on Nov. 27 against Liberty when she scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds, in addition to two blocks and one steal in 29 minutes off the bench. Lewis twice scored four points in games against Patriot League opposition.

Freshmen Class
Length, athleticism and high basketball IQ is a common thread throughout Navy's entire eight-women freshmen class. The Class of 2026 will be represented on the court this season by Shannon Clarke, Bianca Coleman, Morgan Demos, Kelli Giuliani, Maren Louridas, Toni Papahronis, Gia Pissott and Kate Samson ... The only non-direct freshman in this class, a four-year standout at Lawrence Free State High School, Clarke scored over 1,000 points in her high school career and attained the honor of 2020-21 6A First Team All-Kansas before prepping during the 2021-22 academic year at the Naval Academy Prep School. She stands 6'1 and is slated for action on the wing for Navy this season ... A guard from the Philadelphia suburbs, Coleman was a four-year letterwinner at Gwynedd Mercy Academy and capped her high school career with a nod on the 2021-22 Class 4A All-State Third Team after leading her team to a 26-1 record and AACA league championship ... A physical post presence from the Chicago region, Demos has a winning pedigree as twice during her four years playing at the Benet Academy did participated in the IHSA Class 4A State Semifinals. A 6'2 power forward, she was named All-East Suburban Catholic Conference, as well as Second Team All-DuPage County as a junior in 2020-21 ... Giuliani is a local guard from Northern Virginia. A multi-sport athlete in high school at Flint Hill, she concluded her career with All-Independent School League A Division and Second Team VISAA All-State honors in 2021-22 ... An explosive 6'0 scoring wing from New York's Capital Region, Albany, Louridas was a three-time all-league honoree for her play at Bethlehem Central High School. As a senior, she garnered state-wide recognition as she was voted to the New York State Class AA All-State Seventh Team ... A long, athletic point guard that stands 6'1, Papahronis is coming into the collegiate game off the highest of highs as she led Edmond North High School to the the 2022 Oklahoma 6A State Championship and being named the tournament MVP after hitting the game-winning basket in overtime. A 1,000-point scorer, she holds Edmond North's school records for career assists and assists in a single season. Papahronis was selected to the 2021-22 Oklahoma Class 6A All-State First Team ... The second tallest player in Navy's freshmen class at 6'3, Pissott hails from Toms River, N.J. A standout on both ends of the court, she was named to the Shore Conference's All-Defensive First Team as a senior in 2021-22, in addition to a spot on last year's New Jersey All-State Second Team. Led by Pissot, Toms River North High School won four straight A South District Championships ... The eighth and final member of the Class of 2026, Samson is slated to see action in the post as a 6'4 center. A successful member of Saint Gertrude High School's team, Samson helped the Gators go 15-3 as a junior and capture the 2021 VISAA Division I State Championship. Individually, she earned All-League of Independent School First Team and VISAA All-State Second Team honors in 2020 and 2022.

Navy vs. William & Mary
The Mids and Tribe have met 16 times on the hardwood in a series that dates back to Feb. 23, 1980 ... All-time, Navy holds a 9-7 advantage in the series with William & Mary ... After meeting regularly in the Colonial Athletic Association during the 1980's, the teams only met twice from 1993 to 2020 before re-starting their rivalry during the abridged 2020-21 season ... The Tribe won that game by a 60-51 score on Dec. 13, 2020 in Williamsburg before the Mids were victorious on their side of the home-and-home last year ... Navy is 4-3 all-time in games played in Williamsburg with victories in 1983, 1985, 1987 and 2011 ... Navy has an all-time record of 40-41 against teams from the Colonial Athletic Association and has played 11 of the 13 associated schools; they've faced off with Towson (21), William & Mary (16) and Delaware (11) the most times.
    Last Five Matchups:
    Nov. 16, 2021 (Annapolis): Navy 66 - William & Mary 54
    Dec. 13, 2020 (Williamsburg): William & Mary 60 - Navy 51
    Dec. 4, 2012 (Annapolis): Navy 69 - William & Mary 64
    Nov. 18, 2011 (Williamsburg): Navy 61 - William & Mary 58
    Nov. 30, 1993 (Williamsburg): William & Mary 90 - Navy 50

Most Recent Matchup: November 16, 2021 in Annapolis
Battling back from a 12-point halftime deficit the Navy women's basketball team played a sterling brand of well-rounded basketball in the final 20 minutes of action at Alumni Hall on Tuesday night to defeat William & Mary, 66-54. Bolstered by a scorching hot 11-for-16 outing from the field in the third quarter, the Mids outscored the Tribe by 23 points and flipped the game back in their favor on the way to their first victory of the young 2021-22 season.
 
Navy's offensive performance on Tuesday night was dominated by the trio of Jennifer Coleman, Kolbi Green and Sydne Watts, who combined for 94 percent of the Mids' scoring against the Tribe with 62 of the host's 66 points. Coleman and Watts each tallied career-high totals as Coleman shot 75 percent (9-12) from the field and 80 percent (8-10) from the foul line on her way to 26 points, while Watts was hitting shots at a 66.7 percent (8-12) clip from the field with one three-point basket for 17 points. Green also shot over 60 percent (9-14) with a three-pointer as she finished with 19 points. Playing all 40 minutes versus William & Mary, Coleman and Green filled up the box score with a plethora of secondary stats as Coleman completed her 18th career double-double with 10 rebounds and an additional seven assists and four steals. Her backcourt mate Green was credited with five assists, five steals and one blocked shot.
 
Down 12, 39-27, coming out of the locker room, the game was turned upside down in the third period as the Mids went small with their lineup and inserted Mimi Schrader to give them a four-guard look. A precursor to next 10 minutes occurred in the first two possessions of the quarter as Navy forced a William & Mary turnover courtesy of an Imani Edmonds steal before Green grabbed an offensive rebound and quickly made a put-back layup for the Mids. That turnover by the Tribe was the first of 10 in the period, while the Mids' basket was the first of 11 successful field goals. Green's score sparked a quick 7-0 run over the first 55 seconds and Navy was within five at 39-34. After William & Mary scored on its next two times down the court to go back up seven, 43-36, Navy shut out its opponent for the final 7:26 of the quarter. Not willing to rest on their defensive laurels during this run, the Mids' offense was in high gear with Coleman, Watts and Green all scoring at will. Closing the period on an 18-0 run, Navy turned a seven-point deficit into an 11-point lead of 54-43. Coleman (7), Watts (6) and Green (5) registered all 18 points in this streak. For the quarter, the trio netted all 27 points with Coleman going for 11, Watts nine and Green seven. As a team, Navy shot 68.8 percent for the period and had quality distribution as well with seven assists on 11 made baskets.
 
The Mids' scoring run was extended to into the fourth quarter with baskets by Watts and Green over the opening 74 seconds. That 22-0 run helped Navy go up 58-43 at 8:46. Comfortably ahead by double-digits the Mids never let the Tribe get closer than 10 the rest of the game as William & Mary made it a 64-54 with 1:01 to go. A layup by Green on the next possession rounded out the scoring on Tuesday night as the game went final at 66-54.

For the game, Navy outshot William & Mary, 54.0 percent (27-50) to 41.0 (25-61) from the field and 52.6 percent (10-19) to 50.0 (1-2) at the foul line. Neither team had much success from three-point range as the Tribe shot 16.7 percent (3-18) versus 13.3 percent (2-15) for the Mids. Navy's high shooting percentage was aided by 38 points in the paint and 26 points off of turnovers.
  
Defensively, the Mids forced the Tribe into 21 turnovers and were credited with 12 steals. 
 
Comparing the Teams

(2021-22 Stats)	Navy	William & Mary
Record / League-Only	10-21, 5-13 PL	10-20, 5-13 CAA
Home /Away Record	6-11 / 4-10	7-7 / 3-12 / 0-1
Points Per Game	55.1 PPG	57.1 PPG
Points Allowed Per Game	62.7 PPG	63.8 PPG
Field Goal Percentage	35.6 %	39.2 %
3-Point Percentage	28.6 %	32.3 %
Free Throw Percentage	66.5 %	75.6 %
Rebounds Per Game	35.1 RPG	31.8 RPG
Assists/Turnovers Per Game	10.9 / 14.3	13.9 / 19.4

Returning Leaders

(2021-22 Stats)	Navy	William & Mary
Points Per Game	Watts, 9.6 ppg	S. Wagner, 14.6 ppg
Rebounds Per Game	Watts, 3.8 rpg	B. Bellamy, 5.2 rpg
Assists Per Game	Schrader, 1.2 apg	S. Wagner, 3.3 apg
Field Goal Percentage	Watts, 37.3 %	K. Beckwith, 57.9 %
3-Point Percentage	Watts, 32.2 %	A. Stevenson, 38.5%
Free Throw Percentage	Watts, 74.5 %	S. Wagner, 91.0 %

Navy in Season Openers
Over the past 10 Opening Days, Navy is 4-6 with wins over Stevenson ('19), Catholic ('18), Marist ('17) and Towson ('13). The Mids have been on the road in seven of the last 10 season openers. Navy's last road win to start the season came in 2017 as it defeated Marist 77-70 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
    Last 10 Season Openers
    November 9, 2021 (H): Georgetown 73 - Navy 62
    November 29, 2020 (A): George Mason 72 - Navy 68    
    November 5, 2019 (H): Navy 70 - Stevenson 36
    November 7, 2018 (H): Navy 81 - Catholic 36
    November 10, 2017 (A): Navy 77 - Marist 70
    November 11, 2016 (A): Wake Forest 75 - Navy 65
    November 13, 2015 (A): Hofstra 65 - Navy 63
    November 14, 2014 (A): North Carolina A&T 52 - Navy 47
    November 8, 2013 (A): Navy 56 - Towson 55
    November 9, 2012 (A): Iona 74 - Navy 64