NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Behind a career-best performance from senior Jessica Daguilh, the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team opened Capital Athletic Conference play with a convincing 76-52 win at home against York College of Pennsylvania (5-7, 0-1). Daguilh notched a double-double with a career-high 27 points and 10 rebounds as the Captains improved to 10-2 overall and 1-0 in league play. 

Daguilh bested her previous career high of 20 with an impressive shooting performance, knocking down 13-of-20 attempts from the field. An imposing force down low from the opening whistle, Daguilh scored 10 of her 27 points in the first quarter alone. She led a paint presence that saw the Captains outscore the Spartans, 42-18, close to the basket. 

It was Daguilh's second double-double in the last three games and her third of the season. With her ten boards, she eclipsed 500 for her career, becoming just the 29th player in CNU women's basketball history to reach the 500-rebound plateau. 

The two teams teetered back-and-forth in the first quarter until a late burst by CNU carried over into the second as the home team took control. York led, 14-12, with 2:34 left in the first quarter on a three-pointer by Victoria Varner before the Captains created some space with a 13-0 run. CNU led by 11 into the middle stages of the second quarter when York staged a small run to pull back within two possessions. A layup by Lindsay Brown cut the lead to five, 28-23, but Sondra Fan and Bailey Hodges combined for seven of the last nine points to retake a double-digit lead at halftime, 35-25. 

The Spartans managed to pull back within eight in the third quarter after a pair of trips to the free-throw line made the score 43-35, but the Captains pulled away from there. CNU's tandem of Jessica's took over as rookie Jessica Foster had a layup and two three-pointers and Daguilh added two more layups to post another 13-0 run for the Captains. That spurt gave CNU a 21-point advantage with 1:47 left in the third quarter at 56-35. 

The Captains' lead would extend to as many as 26 on Daguilh's final basket of the day in the fourth quarter, capping her impressive 27-point performance with 2:13 left in the contest. It was the second highest scoring output for a CNU player in the last five seasons behind Sam Porter's 33 against Salisbury during the 2016-17 campaign. It is also tied for the third most points in a game for an individual during head coach Bill Broderick's seven-year tenure. 

Foster, with 13, and Fan, with 12, joined Daguilh in double-figures. Fan did most of her damage as part of CNU's dangerous full-court pressure, getting a team-high four steals. CNU grabbed 17 steals and forced 28 York turnovers in the game. Madison Howdyshell, Julia Ng, and Bailey Hodges each had three steals as well for CNU. Daguilh added two, finishing out an impressive overall line with 27 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. 

The Captains will travel to Mary Washington on Saturday, January 5 for their next matchup, taking on the Eagles at 1:00 pm. 

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