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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport women's basketball team turned a four-point halftime edge into a 27-point win on Saturday afternoon, dominating the second half over Wesley College (10-11, 6-8) to cruise to a 68-41 win at home. The CNU defense allowed just 18 points on 25% shooting after halftime, as the Captains improve to 13-8 overall, 9-5 in league play. 

Coming off back-to-back losses, Christopher Newport was in desperate need for a conference victory to solidify their spot as conference tournament contenders. The Captains dominated the paint, outrebounding the Wolverines 41-30, including holding the league's leading rebounder, Brionna Johnson, to just seven boards. In the paint, CNU outscored Wesley, 28-6, and also held a distinct advantage off the bench. CNU's reserves scored 33 points, while the Captains defense held five Wesley players off the bench scoreless, combining to go 0-13 in the contest. 

After the bulk of the first half saw the two teams trading baskets, the Captains led by two with 8:44 to go in the first half, 16-14. An 11-3 run over the next five minutes would build the lead to a high of 10 points, at 27-17, punctuated by a fast-break layup for Jordan Miller with 3:09 remaining. The Wolverines responded with a pair of three-pointers to cut the lead back to four at halftime, 27-23. 

At halftime, senior Camry Green had six points and six rebounds for the Captains. The offense was balanced with eight different players factoring into the scoring in the first half, and the defense was swarming the Wesley offense forcing 13 turnovers with nine steals. Rookie Sam Porter, making her second career start, had five rebounds and five steals in the first half to go with two points. 

With the game far from in-hand, head coach Bill Broderick sparked the Captains at halftime, who burst out of the locker room on an 18-5 run over the first 8:30 to take a commanding 45-28 lead. Rookie Devon Byrd took control in one stretch, dropping in three layups in four possessions, all against contact from Wesley. Porter, 0-for-3 in the first half, blitzed the Wesley defense in the second half by knocking down 5-of-6 shots to finish with a team-high 14 points. Her impressive overall performance also included eight steals and seven rebounds in 31 minutes of action. 

The defense continued to impress against the Wolverines, allowing the visitors to hit just seven shots in 28 attempts for a 25% shooting percentage. In the game, the Captains forced 22 turnovers and allowed just 27.8% (15-54) shooting from the field. 

Green finished with eight points and 14 rebounds, adding two assists, a block and a steal for the Captains. The well-balanced attack saw eight different players score six or more points, including four players off the bench.  Makeda Wright drilled three shots from beyond the arc and finished with 11 points as the only other Captain in double figures. As a team, the Captains registered an impressive 21 assists on 24 baskets in the game, led by five from Lauren Cox and four apiece from freshmen Bailey Dufrene and Makenzie Fancher. 

The league's second-leading scorer and top rebounder, Johnson, finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and three steals for Wesley. All 41 points were scored through the starters, as Alexus Stroud posted a game-high 16 points while Roniece Williams added 11 points on 4-5 shooting. 

Christopher Newport heads back on the road for a tough conference matchup against second-place Mary Washington (16-5, 12-2) on Wednesday, February 11 at 6:00 pm.