ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Hitting the hardwood for the first time since December 8, the Navy women's basketball team shook off some early rust before catching fire over the final 27 minutes and blew open a 28-26 lead with a 77-24 run on its way to a 105-50 win versus Goucher College. The Mids' offensive output tied the previous program record set on December 4, 1985 as part of a 105-53 victory at the College of Notre Dame. All 12 Navy (4-6) players that suited against Goucher (0-10) on Tuesday found their way into the scoring column at Alumni Hall.

Kyah Smith (Fr., Richmond, Va.), Sydne Watts (Sr., Canton, Ga.) and Kate Samson (So., Richmond, Va.) spearheaded the Mids' offensive attack with 54 combined points and 23 rebounds. Smith led all scorers with 23 points on 9-13 shooting to go along with four three-pointers, six rebounds and five assists over 20 minutes of action. Watts posted 16 points, while grabbing eight boards. Samson rounded out the high-scoring trio with season-highs of 15 points and nine rebounds. Toni Papahronis (So., Edmond, Okla.) made it four Mids in double-figures as she netted a career-high 11 points.

"I'd like to start off by recognizing Goucher; I thought they were well-coached and had some nice dribble-drive motion," remarked head coach Tim Taylor. "Their coach made some great adjustments and attempted to switch some things up to keep us off-balanced. At the end of the day, our size and athleticism took over. We settled for some three-point shots early on; it was one pass and a three-pointer. As the game progressed, we stressed that we needed to get the ball moving more and get paint touches; everything becomes easier when you move the ball. We went from 3-19 in the first half to 7-17 from three-point range, while scoring 54 total points in the paint.

"There was a stretch after we broke out to a 10-0 lead to start the game, but then we relaxed. We stressed to them the need to compete all game, regardless of the score. We told them, that if someone wasn't sprinting the floor out on offense or back on defense they were coming out. I think we only had to pull one player."

The first quarter of the game saw swings in momentum throughout as Navy jumped out early with the first 10 points. The initial 10-0 run was bolstered by two Papahronis layups and a pair of baskets by Morganne Andrews (Sr., Martinsburg, W.Va.). From that juncture at 7:37, Goucher fought back with a 10-4 run of its own to pull within four points by 5:41. A crisp drive into the lane and kick-out to Papahronis by Maren Louridas (So., Delmar, N.Y.) resulted in a three-pointer to make it 17-10 on the ensuing possession. Back-to-back field goals by the Gophers over the next 59 seconds tightened up the score to 17-15. A three-pointer by Violet McNece (Fr., Chesterfield, Mo.) with 11 seconds left in the quarter closed the frame at 22-15 in favor of the hosts.

The back-and-forth action continued over the first three minutes of the second quarter as Goucher was able to shave three points off its deficit and draw within two points at 28-26. Over the next 11 possessions, the Mids were unstoppable and tallied at least one point every time down the court as they ran off 20 unanswered points. Six steals and three offensive rebounds during this stretch ignited Navy's effort. A second-chance layup by Kelli Giuliani (So., Oakton, Va.) and a free throw by Samson extended the run out to 23-0 over a span of 5:15. Two Gopher field goals down the stretch concluded the first half at 51-30. While shooting 54.5 percent (12-22) from the field, Navy's ball movement resulted in a flawless 8-to-0 assist-to-turnover ratio in the quarter.

The success that the Mids found over the final six-plus minutes of the second quarter carried over into the third quarter as they scored 20 of the first 22 points of the period to widen its lead out to 39 points, 71-32 by the 4:46 mark. Smith led this run of play with nine individual points, while Watts added five. Samson paced Navy over the remaining four-plus minutes of the third quarter with eight points. Sam Schofield (Sr., Maumee, Ohio) and Saran Moschella (Fr., Staten Island, N.Y.) added to the Mids' final point total in the third with three-point baskets. As part of its 34-point third quarter, Navy shot 61.1 percent (11-18) from the field, 5-9 from three-point range and 7-8 from the foul line, while again moving the ball efficiently with a 10-to-3 ratio.

Up 85-43 through 30 minutes of action, the fourth quarter consisted of more floor-spacing and contributions from throughout its roster as 11 of the 12 players that appeared in the quarter added at least one basket, one rebound or one assist. Morgan Demos (So., Downers Grove, Ill.) and Samson each scored a team-high four points in the quarter as the team broke into the record book. McNece's steal and breakaway layup helped Navy reach the century mark for just the second time ever at 3:56, while Demos layup at 1:19 tied a 38-year program record with 105 points.

For the game, Navy outshot Goucher 48.8 percent (41-84) to 30.6 (19-62) from the field and 27.6 percent (10-36) to 25.9 (7-27) from three-point range. The Gophers had a slight 62.5 percent (5-8) to 61.9 (13-21) edge at the charity stripe.

The larger Midshipmen squad dominated the glass with a 59-32 advantage in rebounds on Tuesday night. Navy also grabbed 14 more offensive caroms, 20-6. Samson led all players with nine rebounds, while Watts was one behind with eight. Four different players all corralled six rebounds each.

Navy's sparkling ballhandling entered the record books as 28 assists rank third all-time and most during the Mids' Division I era. Smith and Papahronis both assisted on five baskets against Goucher. Overall, 11 of the 12 active Midshipmen recorded assists on Tuesday.

Defensively, Navy forced Goucher into 23 turnovers and were credited with 14 steals. Moschella was at the forefront of the Mids' defensive showing with a career-high four thefts. Additionally, Navy blocked six shots.

Of note, Navy's 29 points in the second quarter and 34 points in the third are both program records for most points in those respective quarters. The previous highs were 26 for the second quarter and 29 for the third. Both the Mids' 51-point first half and 54-point second half tied for fourth all-time as the first half total equaled Navy's output on Feb. 12, 2002 versus Colgate, while its second half total matched the Nov. 19, 1989 effort against Molloy College.

"This game was great for our team," said Taylor in closing. "They were sharing the ball and getting excited on the bench throughout. I was excited about how much time everyone got tonight; every player saw between 11 and 20 minutes of action. Basketball is a fun game when you can move the ball and involve everyone. We're getting better and we're going to keep working at it. To cap off the night, we did all this without two of our better players [Zanai Barnett-Gay and Gia Pissott]; I'm proud of the way our whole roster contributed."

The Mids will step away from collegiate competition for the next 11 days to head home for a holiday break. Navy will next be in action on Saturday, Dec. 30 at UAlbany. Tip-off between the Mids and Great Danes is set for 2 p.m. in the capital region of New York.