Game Notes in PDF Format
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After suffering a loss in their final home regular season game, the Captains will have a chance at immediate redemption as they'll face the very same team on Thursday night in the Capital Athletic Conference Semifinals. The 17th-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team will host third-seeded York College of Pennsylvania (18-8) at 6:00 pm as part of a conference tournament doubleheader with the men's team, hosting Mary Washington at 8:00 pm.
For those who can't make it out to the Freeman Center, a live video webcast and live statistics will be available at CNUsports.com/live. For fans attending the game, the gates will open one hour prior to tip with tickets available at the Freeman Center ticket office.
The Captains slipped to No. 17 nationally in both the WBCA and D3hoops.com national polls after dropping the matchup to the Spartans. In that game, York knocked down a season-high 14 three-pointers and shot 52% from beyond the arc in one of the team's top shooting performances of the year. The win snapped a 14-game home winning streak for the Captains, who had not lost in Newport News this season.
CNU will carry a 22-3 overall record into the postseason, led by one of the nation's elite defensive units. The Captains pressure ranks second nationally in steals per game, led by senior forward
Sam Porter, who is averaging 3.3 thefts per contest. Porter is also the team's leading scorer, averaging 10.2 points per game in 16 appearances this season. Fellow seniors
Bailey Dufrene (7.8 ppg) and
Makenzie Fancher (7.8 ppg) have closed the season on strong runs and look to carry that momentum into the postseason.
York has now won three straight and six of their last seven games coming into Thursday's semifinal round. The Spartans earned the trip to Newport News with a 66-61 victory over 6th-seeded Frostburg State in the opening round on Tuesday. Junior Katie McGowan, averaging over 13 points per game, leads the Spartans and has troubled the Captains in both games this season with 22 and 20 points in the two contests. She is the reigning CAC Player of the Week and has scored in double figures in 11 of her last 13 games.
The winning team will advance to the 2018 CAC Championship against either top-seeded and 20th-ranked Marymount or #4 seed Mary Washington. The game will be played Saturday at the highest remaining seed's home site.
