LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – After ending its 2023-24 season with momentum and a ton of potential ready to be activated, the Navy women's basketball team came out on Monday and set a high bar for all future games this year as the Mids rolled to a 22-point victory on the road over Rider University by a score of 74-52. Starting out fast with a 10-point lead through one quarter of play, the Mids (1-0) kept their foot on the offensive gas pedal all night, while also showcasing a stifling brand of defense that forced the Broncs (0-1) into 23 turnovers on their home court at Alumni Gymnasium.

Contributions came from throughout their roster as Mary Gibbons (Holden, Mass.) provided instant offense off the bench with a team-high 18 points and six assists in her collegiate debut. Kate Samson (Jr., Richmond, Va.) paced the team on both ends of the court with 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. The reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Zanai Barnett-Gay (So., Glenn Dale, Md.) continued to influence Navy with her all-around effort of 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals over 31 minutes of action.

"We came out with a lot of energy," remarked head coach Tim Taylor. "Defensively, we were really, really good in the first half. We were rotating good, we were challenging shots and we played without fouling. We got a little lackadaisical in the third quarter. We weren't taking care of the basketball like we needed to and were sloppy fouling; we'll need to get better in that aspect. Overall, we're looking to get better every single day in every single aspect. We've talked about how everything matters. There's a lot of growth to be had from this game.

"We had some kids who didn't play well, but other people picked them up. Mary Gibbons had a great night; I'm more impressed with the six assists than the 18 points. I thought Maren [Louridas] was phenomenal. I have no idea how many points she scored, but she kept so many balls alive with tips and diving on the court. She was everywhere, she was tremendous! Kate Samson didn't play the last nine minutes of the game, but she was doing it on both ends, she was really, really good."

The action started out evenly on Monday night as the game was knotted 4-4 four minutes in. Samson netted Navy's first basket of the season with a jumper at 8:32. From that mark at 6:17 when the Broncs drew even with the Mids at 4-4, the visitors rattled off a 12-2 run to close out the quarter. Eight forced turnovers during this stretch by Navy's defense kept Rider contained on the scoreboard, while Lizzie Holder (So., Stillwater, Minn.) came off the bench with four straight points over the first two possessions that she was in the game to spark the offense. Opportunity was the name of the quarter as Navy took twice as many shots as Rider, 20 versus 10; the advantage was courtesy of 10 total turnovers for the stanza.

Up 16-6 after one quarter, Gibbons loudly entered her name in the box score as on the first possession of the second period she caught a Julianna Almeida (Fr., North Arlington, N.J.) pass in the corner and knocked down a contested three-pointer that she would convert into a four-point play after getting fouled on her follow-through. With the score 20-6, Rider ended its five-plus minute scoring drought to pull within 12 at 7:43. After that basket, Navy scored the next four times down the court and expanded its lead out to 20, 28-8. Maren Louridas (Jr., Delmar, N.Y.) put the exclamation mark on this run with a layup off a Barnett-Gay steal and Kyah Smith (So., Richmond, Va.) assist. A 6-0 run by the Broncs pulled them within 14 at 3:53 before the Mids rallied down the stretch with nine of the final 13 points of the stanza. Navy received points from Gibbons, Samson, Barnett-Gay and Almeida during this span to send the visitors into the locker room up 37-18.

The Mids continued to assert themselves over the Broncs in the third quarter as their lead rose to as much as 22 at 7:52 following an Almeida three-pointer and as close as 16 at 1:21. Another three-pointer by Gibbons made sure Rider wouldn't get any closer for the period as she had an immediate rebuttal at 1:08.

Ahead 54-35 after 30 minutes of action, Navy sealed their first win of 2024-25 with the same relentless attitude on offense and defense that sparked them to that substantial advantage in the first place throughout the fourth quarter. While leaning more on its bench in the final stanza, 16 of the Mids' 20 points came from reserves, including three-pointers by Gibbons, Toni Papahronis (Jr., Edmond, Okla.), Saran Moschella (So., Staten Island, N.Y.) and Kelli Giuliani (Jr., Oakton, Va.); four of Navy's six made baskets in the fourth quarter were from downtown. Due to that marksmanship and six more caused turnovers, the Mids were able to extend their final margin of victory to 22 points, 74-52.

"I feel that everyone that played tonight had a positive effect on this victory," commented Taylor. "Saran Moschella gave us great minutes when she was in the game. Kelli came in late and hit a three. I know it doesn't seem like a lot at the time, but when you got kids coming off the bench and they're prepared and they're ready, it makes practice that much more competitive."

For the game, Navy out-shot Rider 40.0 percent (28-70) to 32.1 (17-53) from the field and 33.3 percent (8-24) to 21.4 (3-14) from three-point range. The Broncs held a slight 83.3 percent (15-18) to 66.7 (10-15) edge in free throw shooting.

The Mids dominated the battle on the glass with a significant 14-rebound advantage, 47 to 33 over the Broncs. Barnett-Gay, Louridas and Samson all tied for the game-high with seven caroms.

The ball was constantly in motion for Navy on Monday as 18 of its 28 made baskets were assisted upon. Gibbons and Smith led the way with totals of six and four assists, respectively.

Defensively, the Mids forced the Broncs into 23 turnovers and were credited with 10 steals. Barnett-Gay had team-high three steals, while Nia Henley (Fr., Spotsylvania, Va.) added two thefts in five minutes of action in the second half.

"It was a good opener; a good trip," said Taylor in closing. "There's a lot more that we've got to work on to get better, but we'll keep doing just that, working."

Navy will continue early-season action on Wednesday night with its 2024-25 home opener against Bryn Athyn. Tip-off at Alumni Hall is set for 7 p.m.