Fredericksburg, Va. – On the road for the first time in Capital Athletic Conference play, the Christopher Newport women's basketball team fell to Mary Washington 66-53 and dropped to 10-3 overall and 1-1 in CAC play. The host Eagles relied on a physical, suffocating defense, holding the Captains to 31% shooting for the game, to earn their first win in conference play and improve to 7-6 overall, 1-1 in the CAC.

The afternoon started quickly for the Captains as Bailey Hodges and Jasmine Norman traded three-point baskets with their counterparts during the opening minutes. Phylicia McInnis' three-pointer with 4:42 remaining in the first gave CNU an 11-6 advantage. The Eagles clamped down defensively and held the Captains scoreless for the next four minutes and while they awoke at the other end of the floor and finished the first quarter with a 9-2.

Trailing 15-13 to begin the second, the Captains got contributions from up and down the bench in the second quarter. Junior Madison Howdyshell , Natalie Terwilliger and Marlise Brunson all battled the difficult Mary Washington defense to keep pace for the Captains. Freshman guard, Jessica Foster buried a three-pointer to even the score at 24-24 and after forcing a UMW turnover on the next possession, McInnis gave the Captains a 26-24 lead with 2:48 to play in the first half.

As in the first quarter, falling behind seemed to spark the Eagles offense as the hosts finished the opening stanza on an 8-0 run and took a 32-26 lead to the locker room after Emily Thompson hit a buzzer-beating three. Thompson led all scorers with 26 points and was 6-9 from beyond the arc.

The second half opened much as the first ended with the Eagles completing a 15-0 run and staking themselves to a 39-26 lead before Hodges was able to add her second three-pointer of the game. From there, both teams traded possessions and mixed baskets with turnovers.

In the fourth, Sondra Fan's free throws trimmed the Eagles lead to 54-45 with 8 minutes to play, but would prove to be the closest the Captains would get the rest of the way. Again, the hosts clamped down defensively and held CNU scoreless for the next five minutes. A pair of Thompson free throws with 4:09 to play increased the Eagles to 62-45 the largest margin of the game.

The Captains were led by McInnis and her 10 points, Terwilliger and Hodges each contributed 8 in the loss.

Christopher Newport returns to action Wednesday night as they play host St. Mary's (Md.) at 5:30 p.m. in the Freeman Center.