Live Stats  ||  Live Video  ||  Game Notes

ADA, Ohio -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team arrived in Ohio on Wednesday evening primed and ready for an appearance in the 2017 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship Sectional Round, set for 5:30 pm on Friday night. The Captains, ranked 7th in the WBCA Top 25 and 10th in the D3hoops.com poll, carry a 27-2 overall record into the matchup with Hope College, ranked 15th and 18th, with a 24-4 mark coming into Friday's tilt. 

CNU and Hope will be meeting for the first time in program history, with the winner scheduled to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight on Saturday against either No. 5 Ohio Northern or No. 17 SUNY Geneseo. For those attending the games at the ONU Sports Center on the campus of Ohio Northern, ticket prices are $7 for adults and $5 for seniors, students, and children. For those fans unable to attend, a live video webcast will be available, alongside live stats. Links to both can be found at the top of this page, or on the CNU Women's Basketball schedule at CNUsports.com. More information is also available at the 2017 NCAA Tournament Page hosted by Ohio Northern's website. 

The Friday evening matchup expects to be a battle of contrasting styles, with the Flying Dutch featuring the nation's fifth-leading scoring offense, averaging nearly 80 points per game. The Captains success has been powered by a fervent defense that has held opponents to under 60 points in 22 of 29 games this season. Hope has been held to under 60 points only twice this season, while topping 90 an impressive seven times. 

Junior forward Sam Porter has been the headliner for the Captains' tough defense, as she continues to climb the chart of all-time leaders in career and single-season steals. With 110 thefts this year, Porter ranks sixth all-time at CNU and fifth in all of Division III this season. As a team, CNU is third nationally with 15.9 steals per game, while ranking fourth in turnovers forced per game (26.79) and second in three-point field goal percentage defense (.217).

Porter is also the leader on the offensive end, averaging 12.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Despite being one of the top ranked offensive units in the nation, at 29th in the country, no other player averages more than 7.7 points per game as the balanced attack features different top scorers nearly every night. Helping power that offense is a group that has proven proficient at getting to the free-throw line. CNU leads the nation in free-throw makes and attempts, and is closing in on the single-season record in program history.

The Flying Dutch come into Friday's game riding high, following one of the top upsets in this year's tournament. In the Second Round, Hope toppled previously unbeaten and defending champion Thomas More College, 74-67, handing the Saints the program's first loss in over two seasons. Unlike Christopher Newport with only one, Hope boasts six seniors, including three starters.The veteran team held on for the win on the road and punched their ticket to face the Captains on Friday. 

Hope's stat sheet reads a lot like Christopher Newport's, with one player averaging double figures and a dozen factoring in to the rotation every night. Sophomore Francesca Buchanan is the Flying Dutch's go-to player, with 15.9 points per game, while shooting over 55% from the field. Seniors Mandy Traversa, who had a team-high 22 points against Thomas More, Tyra Smith, and Angelique Gaddy are all pouring in between 8.7 and 9.4 points per game. Traversa is particularly dangerous as the team's leading rebounder, with 6.8 boards per game, and top three-point shooter, with 57 made treys. 

For the sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth under head coach Bill Broderick, the Captains have reached the NCAA Sweet 16. Since 2010, the Captains have made the tournament six times in eight seasons, dancing at least to the Sectional Round in each. Hope College is a two-time national championship program, and also finished as national runner-up in 2010. The Flying Dutch are appearing in the program's third Sweet 16 since 2010 and eighth overall. 

After Hope and CNU match up, the hosts and fifth-ranked Ohio Northern Polar Bears will take on SUNY Geneseo at 7:30 pm. The two advancing teams will play at the ONU Sports Center on Saturday night at 8:00 pm. All times listed are Eastern Standard Time.