NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Sondra Fan poured in 21 points and the Captains led wire-to-wire in a Capital Athletic Conference win over Salisbury (10-14, 3-6) on Senior Day at the Freeman Center on Saturday afternoon. The Captains held off the Sea Gulls, 72-68, and reached the 20-win plateau for the fifth consecutive season improving to 20-4 overall, 9-0 in the CAC. 

Prior to the game, the Captains honored team manager Rachel Gray and senior guard Kiana Kirkland as they were set for their final home regular season game of their careers. The senior day ceremony was followed by Kirkland starting and knocking down a layup off the opening tip in her first action since January 4. 

After the first possession, Natalie Terwilliger and Sondra Fan hit back-to-back three-pointers to get the Captains out to an 8-2 lead. The Sea Gulls called a timeout and rebounded with a small 5-0 run of their own to pull back within one, but Anaya Simmons hit a layup and Fan drilled another triple after a blocked shot by Julia Hobbs. Fan and Simmons combined for the last 11 points of the first quarter to give the Captains their largest lead of the game, a 12-point edge headed into the second stanza, 19-7. 

Salisbury would not let the Captains run away with the big lead, however, and responded in the second quarter to drop the halftime edge to just four points, 32-28. The Captains shot 48.1% (13-27) from the field in the first half and dropped in four three-pointers. Salisbury got 10 points from Kaylee Otlowski and 9 from Emily Dilger to help trim the lead. 

Early in the second half, Terwilliger took over for the first two minutes, scoring six straight points and building the lead back to nine, 38-29. The Captains would hold off the Sea Gulls for the first four minutes of the third quarter and led 44-34 with 6:07 remaining, but Salisbury again bounced back by scoring 18 points the remainder of the period to cut the Captains lead back to one again, 53-52, headed into the final quarter. 

The hotly contested conference battle would teeter back and forth throughout the fourth quarter until momentum shifted on a pair of plays by sophomore Phylicia McInnis. First, McInnis splashed in a three-pointer from the corner and then she elevated for a huge rebound on the other end. Two possessions later, the Captains got another impressive effort from Terwilliger underneath the rim as she scored six straight points and grabbed a pair of rebounds to help close out the game. Her layup with 1:42 remaining gave the home team a six-point edge, 68-62. 

That would set up one of the biggest defensive possessions of the night for Christopher Newport. Needing a bucket to close the gap against the Captains, Salisbury tried to make a cross-court pass but Terwilliger tipped the attempt and Fan hauled in the steal. The Captains wouldn't score on the other end, but were able to drain nearly a full 30 seconds off the clock. McInnis and Jovia Winkey hit the final three free-throws of the game to hold off the frenetic Salisbury attempt at the come-from-behind win. 

Fan finished with 21 points for her third 20-point performance of the season. Terwilliger also added 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals while knocking down 8 of 11 shots from the field. Bailey Hodges led the team in assists with five and added 5 rebounds, 4 points, and 2 steals. 

Salisbury got a double-double from Dilger with 19 points and 10 rebounds and were led in scoring by Lauren Fortescue with 20 points. Otlowski also finished in double figures with 13 points. 

Christopher Newport will close the regular season on Wednesday, February 19 at Southern Virginia University. Tip against the Knights is scheduled for 6:00 pm