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YORK, Pa. -- The 11th-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team led by 20 points early in the fourth quarter, but a late rally by York College of Pennsylvania erased the lead and forced the Captains to narrowly escape the road conference game with a 75-72 win. The Captains improved to 13-2 overall, 7-1 in league play, after holding off the frantic comeback attempt by the home team. 

The Spartans (10-5, 6-2) fall into a third-place tie in the league standings with Mary Washington, who suffered a loss to first-place Marymount on Saturday. The Captains are now alone in second place in the standings, trailing the Saints by one game and boasting a one-game advantage on the Spartans and Eagles. 

CNU led 68-50 after three quarters of action, and got the first bucket of the fourth quarter to extend the lead to a game-high 20 points, 70-50. Then, York pieced together a 20-0 run to erase the big CNU advantage, resetting the game at 70 points apiece with less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Kayla Ferris capped the run with a long-range three-pointer to tie the game and send the home crowd into a frenzy. After a 30-second timeout by head coach Bill Broderick, though, the Captains would finally end the run with a layup by junior Zhara Tannor. 

With the lead, the Captains would then force a turnover and two missed shots on the next three York possessions, forcing the the Spartans to foul. With 14 seconds left, York fouled Makenzie Fancher twice and the senior knocked down 3-of-4 shots from the free-throw line to hold off the conference foe for the victory. Fancher, who went to high school a little over 15 miles from York College, led the way in her "hometown" game for the Captains by scoring a season-high 16 points while adding seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. 

Fancher was the only CNU player in double figures as the Captains continue to spread the ball around while matching their season scoring average of 75 points per game. Bailey Dufrene knocked down all six of her free-throw attempts and finished with eight points while Tannor added nine points and six assists. 

The Captains defense was tormenting in the first half, forcing 16 turnovers, but managed just four takeaways in the second half as the Spartans staged a comeback. Leading the way for York was Katie McGowan, with 22 points, and Katie Wagner, with 15 points. The Spartans were exceptional from the free-throw line, knocking down 21-of-22 attempts from the charity stripe. 

In the first half, Christopher Newport was led by resilient effort from junior forward Madison Howdyshell. For the game, Howdyshell scored six points and added four rebounds with a block and two steals. She also was pivotal in several defensive stands not in the box score, forcing loose ball turnovers and tie-ups. Senior Devon Byrd was key in the rebounding battle, grabbing five off the glass including three offensive boards to go with her seven points. 

CNU will now wrap up the first half of conference action on Wednesday, January 17 against the University of Mary Washington at 5:30 pm. Live stats and a live video webcast will be available at CNUsports.com/live.