ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy women's basketball team jumped on the Wagner Seahawks early and never looked back on Thursday night as the Mids (4-0) darted out to a 23-1 lead by the 2:52 mark of the first quarter and rolled to a 79-46 victory over the Seahawks (1-2). Navy was clicking in all facets during that opening period as its offense made 11 baskets, including three three-pointers, while its defense forced seven Wagner turnovers and just a 2-of-10 showing from the field as part of a 28-6 score at the end of the quarter. The visiting Seahawks never drew closer than 21 points for the remainder of the game at Alumni Hall as the Mids continued their undefeated streak to open 2024-25.

Navy had a well-balanced team performance with 12 of 13 players scoring and a trio of double-digit scorers. Mary Gibbons (Fr., Holden, Mass.) led all players with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting with three three-pointers in 15 minutes off the bench. Zanai Barnett-Gay (So., Glenn Dale, Md.) filled up the box score with 16 points, four rebounds, a game-high four assists and three steals to go along with a +31 in the +/- statistical category. Maren Louridas (Jr., Delmar, N.Y.) rounded out Navy's trio of performers with double digits as she tallied 10 points in less than 20 minutes of action.

"That was one of the best first quarters that we've had since I've been here," remarked head coach Tim Taylor. "It wasn't just about the points, it was about how we were connected defensively and how much energy we were playing with. Zanai and Maren were wrecking them [Wagner] defensively; getting their hands on balls and just moving everywhere. We rattled them with our defense and they never were able to really get settled into their offense. We shared the basketball really well too. We came out with such great energy. That's the kind of basketball that I think we're capable of if we play with that type of tenacity.

"Mary's played really well for us beginning with her first game. These freshman are all unique, they're Mary Gibbons, they're Julianna Almeida, they're Nia Henley; they're not trying to be someone they're not. We recruited them to be who they were and that's who they've been. That's helped them play comfortable. Z is playing really well, Toni is playing really well, Maren is playing well and showing great leadership; all of those factors matter. I definitely believe we all can get better."

The action kicked off at a frenetic pace as Navy scored on its first four times down the court, while holding Wagner to 0-for-3 from the field with a turnover. Down 8-0, the Seahawks took a timeout in hopes of quelling the Mids' hot start. That break did little to slow down Navy as Barnett-Gay quickly upped her personal scoring total to seven with a successful 'and-one' at 6:22 to make it 11-0 before Julianna Almeida (Fr., North Arlington, N.J.) sank her second basket of the game a minute later to advance the score to 13-1 in favor of the Mids. An explosive 8-0 individual run by Gibbons between 4:07 and 3:20 blew the game out further. Ahead 23-1, Navy matched Wagner down the stretch with five points each as the quarter concluded with the Mids up 28-6. Navy took advantage of seven Wagner turnovers to the tune of 15-0 scoring margin.

The Seahawks tried getting back into it with a small 9-8 run to open the second quarter. Trailing 36-15 at the 4:46 mark of the period, Wagner would never get closer to Navy for the remaining 24-plus minutes of play. The Mids rounded out a somewhat quiet second stanza with seven points versus four for the Seahawks. Lizzie Holder (So., Stillwater, Minn.) put the exclamation point on Navy's second quarter with her first three-pointer of the season.

Up 43-19 at half, the Mids slowly advanced its lead out to 32 points, 55-23 by the under-five media timeout (4:49) in the third quarter. Five points by Louridas and a three-pointer by Gibbons bolstered Navy during this initial span. The Seahawks fought back with a 10-2 run over the ensuing 3:19 to draw within 24, 57-33. Nia Henley's (Fr., Riverbend, Va.) first field goal of the game concluded the third period with the score 60-34.

Comfortably in control, Navy added seven points to its lead over the final 10 minutes of the game as it out-scored Wagner 19-12 in the fourth quarter. Morgan Demos (Jr., Downers Grove, Ill.) led off period with an assist on Louridas' first basket before later posting up deep in the paint for her second field goal of the contest to make it 64-34 at 7:48. Kyah Smith (So., Richmond, Va.) at 4:26 and Holder at 2:14 kept the Mids' lead at 30, respectively before Morgan Blackford (So., Solon, Ohio) gave the hosts their largest lead of 35 (79-44) on a fast break layup off a Kelli Giuliani (Jr., Oakton, Va.) steal at 1:09. Wagner's Irene Fernandez de Caleya registered the final points of the game to conclude the contest at 79-46.
 
For the game, Navy out-shot Wagner 46.5 percent (33-71) to 29.2 (14-48) from the field, while the Seahawks posted better numbers from three-point range, 35.7 percent (5-14) to 31.6 (6-19) and from the foul line 68.4 percent (13-19) to 41.2 (7-17).

The rebounding battle ended tied 40-40, though Navy had a 17-14 edge in offensive boards. Demos led all players with six rebounds, while Holder grabbed an additional five caroms.

Defensively, the Mids forced 24 Seahawk turnovers and were credited with 16 steals. Barnett-Gay, Louridas and Toni Papahronis (Jr., Edmond, Okla.) all tied for the game-high with three swipes each. Off the bench, Giuliani added two steals. Those 24 turnovers played a leading role in Navy's massive 38-4 advantage in points off turnovers.

"We've changed some of our philosophy over this early stretch of games," commented Taylor. "We haven't dived a ton into scouts outside of recognizing our opponent's personnel. We've really been focusing on what works for us and trying to make ourselves better because ultimately, we have no idea what a team is going to run this early in the season.

"When we subbed tonight, we didn't lose a thing. That same energy carried over throughout the entire game. There were even times when I think we picked it up even more. If we can do that consistently throughout all 13 of our players, we got a chance."
 
The Mids will continue their run of non-conference action with a neutral site matchup with the Radford Highlanders on Sunday at the Greenbrier Resort in Sulfur Springs, W.Va. Tip-off at Colonial Hall is set for 12 p.m.