Box Score in HTML Format ||
Photo Gallery
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After splitting the two regular season matchups against York (Pa.) by a combined five points, the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team left no doubt in Thursday night's Capital Athletic Conference Semifinals, cruising to a 93-69 victory over the Spartans. The Captains (23-3) advance to take on top-seeded Marymount University in the CAC Championship on Saturday evening at 5:00 pm.
Playing York for the second straight game after the Spartans nipped the Captains in the regular season finale, 87-85, the Captains recovered with a 24-point victory in the tournament. CNU saw five different players finish in double figures for the second straight game, led by sophomore
Micah Maloney's efficient performance with 16 points and six rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting from the field.
CNU used a dominant first quarter run to build a 15-point lead and never led by less than 14 in the second half en route to the blowout victory. The offense stayed hot, scoring 78 points or more in each of their last five games. The Captains would not be denied it's opportunity to defend the conference championship as they outrebounded the Spartans, 46-37, and forced 22 turnovers in the contest.
On the very first offensive possession of the game, the Captains showed their grit and determination when, off a missed shot and defensive rebound, Maloney ripped the ball from the hands of the York player and stuck back a layup for CNU's first points. The Spartans would take an early 6-5 lead, but from there the rest of the first quarter belonged to the Captains.
CNU exploded for a 20-4 run to end the first frame, holding York to just one field goal and a pair of free-throws in the last seven minutes of the quarter. On the other end, Maloney led the way, going 3-for-3 with seven points while the bench contributed 15 points. Senior
Makeda Wright chipped in five, including one three-pointer as part of a 4-for-5 effort from long range as a team.
Kiana Kirkland and
Anitra Thomas also drilled long-range shots in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Kirkland answered a 9-2 York run by keying an 8-2 Captains run by knocking down a three-pointer from the corner, grabbing a steal and running out a fast-break layup. It was the last time York was within single digits as a three-pointer from the wing by
Makenzie Fancher and Kirkland's layup got CNU back ahead by 14 (35-21).
CNU led by as many as 19 in the second quarter before carrying a 49-35 edge into the locker room. The Spartans turned around their early struggles by shooting 55% from the field (11-20) in the second, but the Captains matched their efforts as Maloney and
Zhara Tannor led the way. Tannor dished out five first-half assists and added five points while Maloney's 14 points and 6 rebounds were game-highs in the first 20 minutes.
The second half saw Christopher Newport coast to a lead of as many as 29 in the fourth quarter as senior
Sam Porter took control for the Captains. Porter scored all 13 of her points in the second half while adding six rebounds and three steals in the game. Thomas also continued a strong performance by scoring seven in the fourth quarter to run her game total to 10 points. Wright finished with 13 on 4-of-6 shooting and Kirkland added 11 on 4-of-8 shooting to round out the Captains' quintet of double-figure scorers.
Junior point guard
Zhara Tannor dished out a game-high six assists, giving her 98 for the season, while adding seven assists and three steals. Fancher also had a strong performance distributing the basketball, with five assists. She added four steals and seven points in the win.
York scored 69 points in their final game of the season with senior Katie Wagner leading the charge with 16 points. Morgan Kuehne added 15 points and seven rebounds while the Captains held reigning CAC Player of the Week Katie McGowan to just eight points.
In the other CAC Semifinal matchup between top-seeded Marymount and fourth-seeded Mary Washington wrapped in favor of the host Saints, 50-31. The Captains will travel to the Verizon Sports Arena in Arlington, Va. for a 5:00 pm tip in the CAC Championship, marking the first time the two teams will play against eachother for the league title.
Highlights:
