NEW LONDON, Conn. -- The Mount Holyoke College basketball team opened the 2023-24 season Wednesday night with many newcomers to the team, as well as familiar faces in new roles, in a 77-34 loss at Mitchell College.

The Lyons (0-1) will play their home opener on Saturday at noon against Dean College.

Junior guard Katie Rha (Douglaston, N.Y.) returned to Mount Holyoke's starting lineup for the first time since her 2021-22 rookie season. Rha quickly assisted on the Lyons' first basket of the season, a layup by first-year starting forward Emma Goff (Cohasset, Mass.) 71 seconds into the game. Later in the first quarter, Rha dished to first-year guard Hannah Goen (New London, N.H.) for a jumper. That hoop stemmed a 9-0 Mitchell run that put Mount Holyoke into a 16-4 defict halfway through the first period.

Mount Holyoke senior Isabel Cordes (Yorktown, Va.) cashed in on an offensive putback in the closing seconds of the first quarter, but the host Mariners had a 13-point lead going into the second period.

After scoring eight points in the first quarter for Mitchell, Jermia Dumas scored six more while Yasmine Santos had seven points and three steals in the second quarter as the Mariners extended their lead to 41-21 at halftime. But it was the Lyons' best period of the game offensively. Senior guard Teal Howle (Florence, S.C.) had three of the Lyons' five assists on six baskets in the period, including a 3-pointer by sophomore Libby Harris (Foxboro, Mass.).

Dumas finished the game with 26 points on 10-13 shooting for Mitchell (1-0), and Santos added 20 points and 14 rebounds.

First-year forward Jamieson Dean (Clinton Township, Mich.) led eight players in the scoring column for Mount Holyoke with seven points, while Goff, Harris and junior captain Marley Berano (Lady Lake, Fla.) scored five points apiece. First-year forward Sofia Francisco (Boston, Mass.) had a team-high eight rebounds, to go with two assists and a block.