HARRISONBURG, Va. -- For the second straight game to open the 2016-17 season, the Christopher Newport women's basketball team was powered by a solid defensive effort, holding Eastern Mennonite to just 50 points in a road win Saturday evening. The 14th-ranked Captains improved to 2-0 with a 63-50 victory, holding their second straight Old Dominion Athletic Conference foe to 50 or fewer points.
The team defense frustrated the Eastern Mennonite attack to the tune of just 26.7% shooting on the night, holding the Royals to 16-of-60 from the field. EMU falls to 0-1 after their season debut, played at Yoder Arena in front of nearly 700 fans. After forcing 36 turnovers in the opener, the CNU defense forced 22 on Saturday, picking up 11 steals on the night.
In a game that featured over 80 missed shots, the battle on the glass was an important one, in which the Captains earned a slight 47-45 advantage. CNU was impressive on the offensive boards, extending offensive chances 18 times. Junior
Sam Porter grabbed 13 rebounds while sophomore
Jessica Daguilh added 10. Off the bench,
Devon Byrd finished with eight rebounds, paired with her ten points.
Byrd and classmate
Anitra Thomas (12 pts) were the only players in double-figure scoring for the Captains, while Eastern Mennonite was led by Chloe Roach's 20 points. No other EMU player finished with more than seven points.
After a slow start offensively, CNU turned a 10-10 tie with 2:21 remaining into a 15-point lead at halftime, 38-23.
Makenzie Fancher ended the first quarter with a three-pointer from the wing, followed by a fast-break layup after a steal to give CNU a 15-10 lead. In the second quarter, rookie
Micah Maloney scored six straight points for CNU, followed by five of six from Thomas. A three-pointer from Thomas with 3:47 remaining extended the lead to 31-19, giving CNU their biggest lead of the night. Minutes later, Porter converted for a jumper to make it a 14-point lead, and
Makeda Wright drained a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the half for the 15-point margin.
CNU shot 35.1% from the floor in the first half (13-37), including four made three-pointers. In the second half, the Captains offense just held the Eastern Mennonite at arm's length, not allowing the lead to dip below eight for the remainder of the contest.
A three-pointer to start the second half for
Anitra Thomas gave CNU a game-high 18-point lead, as CNU managed to hold a 14-point edge at the end of three frames, 54-40. In the final ten minutes, a 6-0 spurt got the Royals back within eight, 54-46, but solid work at the free-throw line and down on the block saw CNU hold on for the 13-point win, 63-50.
Byrd finished just shy of a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds, while picking up one steal. Porter added seven points to go with her 13 rebounds, and the junior forward also blocked two shots with three steals. Wright picked up some of the slack offensively, going 4-for-8 with a three-pointer for nine points. Fancher also added six assists to go with seven points and four rebounds for CNU.
The Captains will return to action on Tuesday, November 22 in their home opener, hosting Methodist University at 6:00 pm in the Freeman Center. Live stats and video will be available at CNUsports.com/live.
