Women’s basketball defeated the University of the District of Columbia 86-47 in their season opener on Monday night at the Smith Center, marking Head Coach Ganiyat Adeduntan’s first win in her tenure.

The Revolutionaries’ offense was rolling all night against the Division II opponent, with the team shooting 32 of 61 from the field and an impressive 15 of 27 from 3-point territory, good for a 55.6 percent clip. Postgame, Adeduntan said she was “so proud” of her first game leading the program.

“I walked in, I tried to take it all in as quick as I could,” Adeduntan said. “Humbling, grateful, those are the words that come to mind right away.” 

Leading the Revs in scoring were freshman guard Colleen Phiri with 18 points and junior guard Kamari Sims with 13 points, off 7/10 and 5/7 shooting, respectively. Phiri was a key part of the team’s success from beyond the arc, shooting four of five from 3-point territory.

“She’s a kid that’s in the gym early before practice starts,” Adeduntan said of Phiri. “She was in the gym early this morning getting shots up. I think we got to see some of Colleen Phiri, she can do a lot more than just shoot threes.”

Phiri wasn’t the only newcomer making a mark tonight, with over half of the Revs’ baskets being scored by players new to the roster. Freshman guard Mia James had a strong all-around performance, assisting on eight baskets, bringing down four boards and scoring 12 of her own. Adeduntan said James’ vocalness and ability to manage the floor has impressed her thus far.

“The thing that has been really, really awesome to see about Mia in the last couple of weeks is how she’s rising in that point guard position,” Adeduntan said. “Because you can’t be a point guard if you don’t use your voice.”

The team opened the game with a strong lead of 23-9 in the first quarter, with Sims scoring two early 3-pointers. UDC picked up their offense to begin the second quarter, with a 18-10 run to cut the Revs’ lead to only 6. The Firebirds were able to win the second quarter overall, outscoring GW 18-17 to enter halftime trailing 40-27. 

The Revs were able to pull away in the third, with the 3-point offense proving too powerful for UDC to contain and their suffocating defense holding them to only 20 points in the half. In the fourth quarter, the Firebirds scored just 5 points and went scoreless for over six minutes.

Adeduntan said 3-point shooting was something that came as a result of team cohesion and players “being able to find the open player.”

“We took the right threes in the right moments, and we found the open player so that your percentage goes up if you’re finding open looks,” Adeduntan said.

Sims said patience and consistency allowed the team to find offensive success throughout the game.

“I think it was just about slowing down, taking care of the ball, driving into the paint, taking it out, finding open players, just overall, just playing more slow, playing our type of offense,” Sims said.

The Revs out-rebounded UDC 38-20, demonstrating dominance on the glass. Sims credited Adeduntan’s coaching, particularly on the defensive end, for laying the groundwork for tonight’s big win.

“I think Coach has set up the foundation and the standard that we have to rise to,” Sims said. “Throughout the course of the months, we worked on a lot of offense, heavy defense coaches, she is a defensive coach. I think we all came together today and played very well.”

Adeduntan appeared animated at several points throughout the game, cheering on the team at big moments and communicating with players as the game unfolded.

“This game is supposed to be fun,” Adeduntan said. “I remind myself that every single day, this is the game, and if I expect our team to bring energy and enthusiasm, I got to make sure I’m bringing it too, so they can bear that.”

The Revs will face off against Temple University on in Philadelphia on Friday at 7 p.m. for their next game.