FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The Christopher Newport University women's basketball team clamped down defensively in the second half to overcome an 11-point halftime deficit on the road at Mary Washington and secured a 56-49 victory. The win improved the Captains to 14-8 and 10-5 in Capital Athletic Conference play.
 
Mary Washington, entered the contest sitting in second place in the league standings with a 12-2 mark in CAC play, largely on the strength of their nationally ranked defense. The Eagles defense was the story of the first half.
 
On the opening possession, senior center, Camry Green took an entry pass on the blocks, sealed her defender, and converted an easy basket to give the Captains an early lead. Over the next six minutes, the Captains would fail to score and see Mary Washington's Claire Haeuptle connect on a trio of three-point baskets along with a pair of free throws on the way to building a 15-2 lead.
 
Two CNU freshman breathed a little life into the Captains offense when Devon Byrd hit a three-pointer from the left corner to break the Eagles run.  Jalynn Ponzo followed with a runner in the lane but the Captains still struggled against the aggressive Mary Washington defense.
 
As the half moved on, both teams traded empty possessions before back-to-back three-pointers from Lauren Cox and Bailey Dufrene trimmed the deficit to 21-17 with 4:25 to play. It would be the closest the Captains would get in the first half as Mary Washington shut down CNU the rest of the way and led 28-17 at the half.
 
The second half began much like the first half ended as neither team scored until Ponzo poured in one of her two three-point baskets a little more than two minutes into the half. From that point on, the Captains methodically whittled away at the Eagles' lead.
 
Green came to life in the second half and scored 9 of her 13 points and grabbed 8 of her 12 rebounds in the second stanza. Along with Sam Porter's 8 points and 6 rebounds in the final twenty minutes, CNU attacked Mary Washington in the paint.
 
Porter connected on a pair of free throws with 12:15 remaining to make it a three-point game. After Mary Washington committed one of their 21 turnovers, sophomore Lauren Cox connected from distance to tie the game at 34. Devon Byrd, Porter and Green all added baskets over a three minute stretch to build a seven-point edge.
 
A Taylor Barton layup with 1:26 to play brought Mary Washington within three, but again, Green stepped up and made a basket in the paint, guarded by three Eagles, and then followed it up moments later by making one of two free throws.
 
The win helps CNU keep pace in Capital Athletic Conference play with a 10-5 league record, one game behind Marymount.  The Captains host the Saints Saturday in a pivotal matchup in the final regular-season home game of the year for CNU. Gametime is set for 2 p.m. and will streamed online at CNUsports.com/LIVE.