Game Notes (Christopher Newport)  ||  Game Notes (Widener)  ||  Live Stats  ||  Live Video

SCRANTON, Pa. -- Making the team's record fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, the 20th-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team will take on Widener College (21-5) in the first round on Friday at 5:00 pm. The matchup will be played on a neutral floor on the campus of the University of Scranton at the John Long Center where Christopher Newport has appeared in three of the last five postseason tournaments. 

The Captains enter the first round matchup with a 23-4 overall record after winning 15 straight games heading into the NCAA Tournament. Christopher Newport has captured wins in 19 of the last 20 outings with the lone outlier being against then-No. 1 Tufts University by just five points. The Captains are making the program's 21st all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, tied for seventh most in Division III history, while reaching the tournament in each of the last five seasons. Christopher Newport secured the automatic berth from the Capital Athletic Conference after defeating York College (Pa.) in the championship game, 86-66.

Widener is coming off just it's second loss in the last 11 games after dropping an overtime contest to Albright in the conference semifinals. The Pride earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Championship for the program's fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament in history (1982, 2004, 2009, 2013). 

Tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for students, children (ages 2 & up), and seniors over the age of 61. Children under the age of two will be admitted at no charge. Tickets will only be sold at the gate on both Friday and Saturday as there will be no advance ticket sales. 

For fans unable to attend the game in person, live stats and a live video webcast will be available through the Scranton Department of Athletics. Links to both can be found on the women's basketball schedule at CNUsports.com. 

While the Christopher Newport defense has disrupted opposing team's all season long, they will face a stiff test in the first round as they take on one of the top shooting teams in the nation. The Pride rank 37th nationally in overall field-goal percentage, hitting 42.5% of their shots this season, while pouring in 36.8% of their three-point shots to rank fifth nationally. Madison Ireland is one of the top-ten distributors in the nation ranking ninth in assists with 6.0 per game and the sure-handed guard ranks in the top-50 nationally in assist/turnover ratio with a 1.76 mark. 

The Captains defense ranks third nationally in turnovers forced averaging 28.41 per game this season. Led by sophomore Sondra Fan, junior Bailey Hodges, and rookie Anaya Simmons, the Captains also rank seventh nationally in steals per game with 15.6. They have 58, 51, and 47 steals this season, respectively, while 13 different Captains have picked up at least 13 steals this season. 

Offensively, first team All-Conference guard and CAC Tournament MVP Sondra Fan leads the way with 13.2 points per game in just 20.5 minutes per contest. Fan has also dished a team-high 65 assists while grabbing nearly 100 boards. Sophomore Natalie Terwilliger, a second team All-Conference pick, is averaging 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for the Captains' frontcourt. 

Widener is led offensively by Devan Rimmer with 17.6 points per game including an impressive 42% three-point shooting percentage. The dangerous shooter is backed up by Erin Phelan, with 12.4 points per game, and Kyra Schenk, with 10.3 points per game. Schenk also leads the team in rebounding and blocked shots with 8.5 boards and nearly 2 blocks per game. 

The first-round doubleheader will include the host Royals taking on Endicott College immediately after the Christopher Newport-Widener matchup. The two winning teams will advance to play in the second round on Saturday, March 7 at 5:00 pm.