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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The fourth-seeded Christopher Newport Captains (17-9) led by 18 points in the first half, and by as many as 12 in the second, but fifth-seeded York College of Pennsylvania (12-14) shot over 59% after halftime to drop CNU in the Capital Athletic Conference Quarterfinals, 73-65. Senior Camry Green grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds in the setback, moving up to fourth on the all-time rebounding chart in the setback. 

The Spartans advance in the CAC Tournament, moving on to face top-seeded Salisbury University on Thursday at 6:00 pm. The front court was dominant for York College, as senior Shea Wassel and sophomore Sam Hruz combined for 40 points and 17 rebounds. It is the second straight year that York defeated CNU in the CAC Tournament. 

The result came after CNU raced out to a big first-half lead, powered by a 21-2 run in the middle stages. After the two teams teetered back and forth to an 8-7 Spartans lead with 15:22 on the clock, the Captains dominated the next stretch. Between a three-pointer hit by Brianna Bisci with 15:22 showing and a Katie Wagner layup with 5:57 on the clock, the Captains outscored the road team 21-2 and looked to be in control of the game, up 28-10. Rookie Anitra Thomas had seven points in the spurt, and also grabbed a pair of key steals to get the momentum rolling in CNU's favor. 

With the 18-point lead, though, the Captains could not extend in the final six minutes of the half as York responded with a run of their own. A 14-3 run in response, was capped by a layup from Katie Wagner with 1:18 left on the clock, cutting the lead to five, 29-24. Camry Green got one more bucket for the Captains to make the halftime lead seven, 31-24. The CNU senior had seven points and eight rebounds in the first half, shooting 3-5 from the field. Thomas' seven points also led the way while Wassel had a game-high eight at the break. 

The Spartans looked prepared to make a run to start the second half, scoring seven of the first nine points to cut the lead to two, 33-31, with 17:55 on the clock, but the Captains rebounded with another significant run to re-take a double-digit lead. A nice take to the basket from Jalynn Ponzo kick-started the roll, with a three-pointer from the corner by Devon Byrd beating the shot clock coming next. Jordan Miller knocked down a mid-range jumper and Ponzo added a second take to the rack to put CNU up 42-31 on a 9-0 run. 

With 14:25 showing on the clock, Sam Porter set up Makenzie Fancher for a look just inside the arc, giving CNU a 12-point lead that would prove to be the highest for the remainder of the game. CNU held the Spartans at bay for the next several minutes, but a 12-0 run with under 10 minutes to go changed the momentum and turned the game into a close battle the rest of the way. A traditional three-point play by Katie Wagner with 8:10 remaining gave the Spartans their first lead since the 15:22 mark of the first half, going up 51-49 on the bucket and foul. 

A spot in the semifinals on the line, each team came up with big shots over the final eight minutes. Byrd and Morgan Golec traded triples, and Ponzo added another slick layup that was answered by solid free-throw shooting from the Spartans. Trailing by one, Wassel was tagged for a foul with 3:15 remaining, sending Green back to the line, where she connected on both shots to give CNU a 63-62 lead. From that point, though, York caught fire finding wide open layups from Hruz and Wassel on back-to-back possessions. After a missed layup by CNU, the Captains were forced to foul, where Brianna Bisci connected on 1-of-2 to give the visitors a 6-point lead, 69-63 with just over a minute remaining. 

Forced to shoot from long range, the Captains weren't able to get a good look and couldn't cut into the lead. After another foul, Wassel was perfect from the charity stripe, making the deficit eight with 32 seconds showing. The lead would prove too mighty for CNU to mount a comeback. The Spartans were led by an impressive second half by Hruz, who scored 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists. Wassel added 10 points in the second half, with five rebounds, and as a team, the Spartans shot 58.1% (18-31) in the second stanza.

In the game, Hruz had a game-high 22 points with nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. Wassel had 18 points, eight rebounds and Wagner finished with 12 points. CNU was led by a game-high 16 rebounds from Green, while adding a team-high 13 points. Porter had six points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Byrd wrapped up the game with 10 points and four rebounds. 

CNU shot just 33.3% from the field on 23-of-69 shooting, including a 6-of-27 mark from long range for 22.2%. The Captains outrebounded the Spartans, 44-36, but York held the advantage scoring in the paint, 40-28. Green's 16 rebounds give her 1,017 for her career, passing Candace Bryant for fourth on the all-time list. 

The Captains season record runs to 17-9 overall with a tie for third place in the 2014-15 CAC standings.