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WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- The illustrious careers of the CNU women's basketball Class of 2014 came to a close on Friday night, as the 20th-ranked Christopher Newport Captains (24-6) dropped an 87-70 decision to 7th-ranked Whitman College (29-1) in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Led by 1,000-point scorers Nicole Mitchell and Tia Perry, the senior class made three trips at least as deep into the NCAA Tournament and wrap their careers with a 105-19 overall record. 

Four Captains finished in double figures, led by junior Camry Green with 21 points. It was Green's fourth 20-point game in the last seven contests as she wrapped up the season averaging 13.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Perry and Mitchell added 13 and 11, respectively, while sophomore Brandi Holland had one of her best performances of the season with 17 points. 

Despite CNU's best efforts, though, the Captains were unable to overcome a torrid start to the game by the home team. The Missionaries set fire to the basket from the opening tip, knocking down 13 of their first 14 attempts from the field. After Tiffani Traver missed the first shot of the game for Whitman, junior conference Player of the Year Heather Johns took the game over. As the team made their next 13 shots, Johns led the way, going 8-for-8 from the field.

Senior Sarah Anderegg was also scalding, knocking down her first five attempts as the two leading scorers for Whitman combined to go 13-for-13 within the first 17:26 of gametime. The hot start saw the Missionaries build a 19-point lead with seven and a half minutes to go in the first half, 33-14, on a three-pointer by Tiffani Traver. 

Though the shooting would cool slightly, Whitman still managed to build the lead to 26 heading into halftime, at 47-31, before the Captains closed on a 6-0 run to make the score at the break 47-27. 

Whitman was shooting 55.9% from the field on 19-34 shooting, and held a commanding advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Captains 30-12 in the first 20 minutes. CNU was just 33% from the field and had a pair of post players in foul trouble, including Green, who scored just four points in 10 minutes of action. 

Johns poured in 21 first-half points, going 9-for-11 from the field. Anderegg added 13 points on a perfect 5-for-5 effort, while Meghan White led all rebounders with 12 boards. 

The second half saw Christopher Newport come out with a higher intensity and more disciplined offensive gameplan. The Captains would outscore the 7th-ranked Missionaries in the second half, but could not slow the potent offense enough to cut into the lead. The CNU defense did a better job forcing turnovers, getting 21 in the game, and held Johns and Anderegg to just 11 combined points in the second half, but the talented team showcased depth as they held off the Captains. 

Green had a sensational second half, and Perry took over the contest for a stretch after intermission. Playing on a broken foot, Perry managed to gut out 29 minutes of play, scoring 13 points and, in her typical fashion, added several stunning defensive plays including an assertive block of an attempted three-pointer by Johns. 

The Captains shot 50% in the second frame, knocking down 17 shots in 34 attempts. A late burst got the score down to 17 for the final, at 87-70. Johns finished with 30 points, and Anderegg 15, while Traver also added 12 for a double-figure scoring game. 

The loss drops CNU to an extremely impressive 10-3 in NCAA Tournaments over the last four seasons, as the senior class graduates as one of the most accomplished in program history. Mitchell and Perry headline a group that includes point guard Andrea Hobbs, guard/forward Chantal Thomas and forward Nicole Pandak.

Mitchell made her 90th straight start in tonight's game and is currently the active leader in Division III in games played, with 123 in her career. She wraps up an illustrious career with 1,262 total points, ranking 13th all-time, and 696 career rebounds. She trails her teammate, Tia Perry, for 12th all-time in scoring, by just 17 points as Perry finished her career with 1,279 points and 656 rebounds.

Christopher Newport closes the 2014 season with a 24-6 overall record while Whitman advances to face No. 1 Thomas More in the NCAA Sectional Final on Saturday night.