SALISBURY, Md. – The final week of the regular season began Wednesday for the Christopher Newport women's basketball team with a trip to Capital Athletic Conference rival Salisbury and the Captains wasted little time racing out to a sizable lead and claiming an 81-45 victory. Paired with a Mary Washington upset of Southern Virginia in Buena Vista, the Captains left Maryland with a 10-3 record in the league play, 19-5 overall and in sole possession of first place in the CAC.
The Captains pieced together one of their finest performances of the season shooting 54% from the field and an 11-20 effort form beyond the arc. Freshman guard
Jessica Foster connected on back-to-back-to-back three-pointers during a 19-0 run that bridged the first and second quarters. However, Foster shot a blistering 5-6 from beyond the arc in the second half to finish with 24 points, leading all scorers and extend the Christopher Newport lead.
The Captains also excelled on the defensive end of the floor accumulating 14 steals and forcing 28 Salisbury turnovers. The Sea Gulls shot a paltry 4-27 during the first half and struggled to get on track against the Captains' pressure shooting only 23% from the floor for the game. Jada Welbon collected six of her team-high 11 points during the second quarter as the Sea Gulls fought to keep the score within reach.
Captains freshman guard,
Sondra Fan took advantage of their first possession by knocking down a three-pointer from the right side, and staked her team to a lead they would hold the entire game. Salisbury answered Fan's basket with a Courtney Bingham layup but Christopher Newport embarked on the 19-0 run that stretched into the second quarter when Senior
Madison Howdyshell's bucket made the score 22-2.
Leading 36-14 at the half, Christopher Newport went to the locker clearly in control of the game's tempo.
The win was a team effort for the Captains as
Sondra Fan added 14 points and her backcourt mate, senior
Kiana Kirkland added 11. However, bolstered by Foster's performance and an 8 point, 4 rebound 4 steal performance from
Julia Hobbs, the bench accounted for 42 total points.
The win was critical for positioning the Captains atop the CAC standings entering the final game of the regular season Saturday at Penn State Harrisburg. Already having clinched a home game in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, Wednesday's victory assures the Captains of being able to host the semifinals on Thursday, if victorious in the opening round.
Saturday's finale at Penn State Harrisburg will begin at 1 p.m.
