NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- For the fourth consecutive season, the Christopher Newport women's basketball team will host the Capital Athletic Conference Semifinal Round at the Freeman Center when they welcome in #4-seed Mary Washington on Thursday night. Tip against the Eagles is scheduled for 6:00 pm with live stats and video available at CNUsports.com.
The top-seeded Captains (21-5) advanced to the semifinals via an 86-60 victory over St. Mary's (Md.) on Tuesday night in the opening round. Mary Washington improved to 14-12 overall this season with a 65-54 overtime win over Frostburg State.
In the regular season, the Captains and Eagles split the series with each team winning on their home floor. Mary Washington won, 66-53, on January 5 in Fredericksburg and CNU captured a 62-42 win on February 2 in the Freeman Center. The Captains hold a 31-21 advantage in the all-time series while the teams have split their matchups in the CAC Tournament. CNU won the 2017 Championship Game over the Eagles after Mary Washington won in the semifinal round in 2016.
On Tuesday night, the Captains were able to pull away from the Seahawks early and spread the minutes around the entire roster. All 13 active players saw at least nine minutes of action and all but one made their way into the scorebook. Rookie
Natalie Terwilliger led the way with 13 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks while four players finished in double figures.
The CAC announced it's All-Conference awards on Wednesday, listing CNU freshman
Sondra Fan as the Rookie of the Year and a pair of Captains,
Jessica Daguilh and
Kiana Kirkland, as first team All-Conference selections. That trio leads the Captains scoring with Kirkland's 11.6 points per game atop the scoring column followed by Fan's 10.7 and Daguilh's 10.5. The league-leading offense is averaging 77.0 points per game and ranks 18th in the country.
Mary Washington features the league's leading scoring defense, holding opponents to just 53.5 points per game this season. That mark ranks 36th nationally while opponents are shooting just 33% from the field against the Eagles, ranking 23rd nationally. The Eagles landed a pair of second team All-Conference selections on Wednesday as senior Jordan Pamlanye and junior Emily Thompson picked up the accolades.
Thompson leads the team in scoring with 12.6 points per game while ranking among the nation's leaders in free-throw percentage, burying 87% from the charity stripe. Pamlanye is adding 12.1 points per game while hauling in a team-best 8.3 rebounds per contest.
The winning team will advance to the 2019 CAC Championship Game against either #2-Southern Virginia or #3 Salisbury. That semifinal matchup will be played in Buena Vista, Va. at 7:00 pm. The highest seed remaining will host the title game on Saturday with game time to be determined.
For fans who can not attend the semifinal matchup at the Freeman Center, live stats and a live video webcast will be available at CNUsports.com.
