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MIDDLETOWN, Pa. -- Powered by the inside presence of rookie Jessica Daguilh and the torrid shooting from sophomores Devon Byrd and Anitra Thomas, the Christopher Newport women's basketball team finished off a red-hot second half performance with a 75-48 win on the road at Penn State Harrisburg (5-7, 1-4). The Captains (10-2, 3-2) torched the Lions for 54 points on 67.9% shooting after the halftime break, cruising to another blowout win.

The Captains ranked fifth nationally in scoring margin coming into Wednesday's Capital Athletic Conference matchup with Penn State Harrisburg, outscoring opponents by 24.9 points. After a 9-4 opening quarter, featuring disarray both offensively and defensively for both teams, it didn't look like the Captains would manage to get anywhere near that 25-point margin of victory. A halftime adjustment, however, proved vital for the Captains as they outscored the home team 28-11 in the third stanza, pulling away again for their fifth straight win.

Shaking off a rough first half that featured seven turnovers, Byrd was at the forefront of a 24-7 run through the first eight minutes of the third quarter. She appeared on a mission, putting the Captains offense on her shoulders and knocking down her first four shots of the second half. With eight quick points, the Captains led, 34-20. Thomas then took the baton, scoring four straight, and quickly handed off to Daguilh. A three-point play with just over two minutes remaining in the third keyed a career-night from Daguilh, who would finish with a team-leading eight rebounds and a career-high 13 points.

Most of her damage would come early in the fourth quarter as CNU began distancing themselves from the Lions. The CNU offense consistently looked inside for their 6-2 teammate, who repeatedly sealed her defender and bounced in layups off the glass. After her last field goal with 4:49 remaining, the Captains held a more than comfortable 34-point lead, 64-30. The rest of CNU's scoring would come almost entirely from the free-throw line, where the Captains finished at 75% (18-24).

The solid second half performance was enough to quickly erase the memory of a rough first half that saw the two teams combine for only 37 points while committing 33 total turnovers. The CNU defense continued its stout season with a 23.7% shooting performance from the Lions on 14-of-59 shooting. They forced 24 turnovers and grabbed 11 steals in the game, while swatting four shots.

Thomas finished 6-for-9 in the game with a team-best 14 points, while Daguilh's 13 point effort included two steals and a blocked shot, while burying 6-of-8 attempted shots. Byrd and Makenzie Fancher each had eight points, while the balanced attack saw six more players finish with four or five points.

For Penn State Harrisburg, Rachel Miller led the way with 11 points, while the Captains held leading scorer, Jasmine Yanich, to just two points on 1-of-6 shooting, including an 0-for-5 night from long range. 

In the game, CNU shot 50.9% from the field for their second straight and fourth overall effort this season over 50%. The Captains knocked down 27-of-53 total attempts.

The win was the 80th in 100 career games at CNU for head coach Bill Broderick.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday, January 9 at the Freeman Center, hosting Wesley College (2-9, 1-4) at 2:00 pm. Live stats and a live video webcast will be available at CNUsports.com/live.