NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team scored 90 points for the third time in the last four games as they raced past William Peace University (5-5) on Sunday afternoon, 91-68. The Captains improved to 8-1 with the win, closing out the pre-holiday schedule with just one loss.
The red-hot CNU offense continues to score at an unprecedented pace, eclipsing 90+ points for the third time in four games for just the second time since the 1997-98 season and only the seventh time in program history. The Captains once again did it with balance as only two players finished in double figures and all but one Captain entered the scoring column.
Christopher Newport scored 49 points in the first half and added another 42 in the second. The Captains shot 39.2% from the floor (29-74) and knocked down eight three-pointers on 18 attempts for a 44.4% efficiency from outside. CNU was also at the line a season-high 38 times and buried 25 free-throws.
Junior scoring leader
Kiana Kirkland put together an exceptionally efficient performance, scoring 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting in just 20 minutes of action. Kirkland also led the team with five steals, as CNU grabbed 20 steals as a unit. The defense saw
Madison Howdyshell snag three steals and
Zhara Tannor,
Bailey Hodges,
Phylicia McInnis, and
Jasmine Norman each grab two apiece.
In the first quarter, the Captains built a 13-point lead courtesy of an 18-4 run over the final 7:09 of the period. Kirkland was 4-for-5 with 9 points while rookies
Sondra Fan and
Natalie Terwilliger each added five points in the stanza. In the second half, CNU outscored the Pacers by two to take a 15-point lead into the locker room, 49-34.
The Captains defense scored 23 points off of turnovers in the first half and finished with 32 in that category for the game. It was the offense that led the way out of the locker room, scoring 27 points in the third quarter. CNU shot 60% (9-15) from the floor in the third quarter, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Zhara Tannor dished out four assists as the Captains continued to spread the ball around -- with 27 points scored, no Captain managed more than four in the ten-minute stretch.
CNU carried the big lead into the fourth quarter and sailed to the win, 91-68. The Captains outrebounded William Peace, 46-43, and forced 31 Pacers turnovers. Peace shot 46.3% from the floor on 25-of-54 shooting, but the Captains managed 20 more opportunities from the floor.
Kirkland's 18 points led the way for CNU while Fan added 12 on 4-of-7 shooting for CNU.
Julia Ng and
Jessica Daguilh flirted with a double-double adding seven points, eight rebounds and nine points, six rebounds, respectively. Terwilliger also poured in nine points for the Captains well-balanced offense.
With the win, the Captains defended the Freeman Center floor for the 212th time in 250 career games since the building opened in 2000-01. CNU improved to 212-38 for an overall winning percentage of 84.8% in home games at the Freeman Center. Since head coach
Bill Broderick took the helm seven seasons ago, the Captains are even better, posting a 73-11 mark at home for a winning percentage of 86.9%.
Christopher Newport will return to action at the Lynchburg Holiday Classic on December 29-30; the Captains will take on the host Hornets at 2:00 pm on the 29th before facing nationally-ranked Emory & Henry at 2:00 pm on the 30th.
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