SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- The Mount Holyoke College basketball team will be loaded with guards looking to push an uptempo pace in the 2022-23 season, says head coach Jackie Ward. The Lyons begin the campaign with a non-conference game at UMass-Boston Wednesday at 5:30pm. (Video /Live Stats)

"We don't have a lot of size, so we want to take advantage of our quickness and speed -- pushing the tempo, creating turnovers and scoring a lot in transition," Ward said.

As she continues to rebuild the program -- a project made more daunting during the COVID epidemic -- playing to those team strengths using small lineups will be a likely part of the equation for Ward, a former Division I guard at Binghamton University, and her assistant coaches, Alyssa Barrett and Erin Hunter.

The Lyons' top returners from the 2021-22 club include a pair of sophomore guards in Cal McGonagle (Yarmouth, Maine) and Marley Berano (Lady Lake, Fla.). McGonagle ranked second on the team in both scoring (8.6 points per game) and rebounding (7.4) in 2021-22. Berano, named the Lyons' team captain, posted 6.5 points, 1.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.2 rebounds per game.

A promising first-year class of Lyons, which is laden with more guards, also has Ward excited. "The first-years are elevating our level of play in practice," she said. "They immediately provided a challenge for our returners by their play on the court."

Following the game at UMass-Boston, Mount Holyoke will play again on the road at Fitchburg State on Saturday at 12pm. The Lyons' home opener will be Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7pm against Elms College.

The first half of the season will end with an excursion to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Clasico on Dec. 29-30, with games scheduled against Adrian and Sage.

NEWMAC play will begin Jan. 14 with a home game against Emerson.