BUENA VISTA, Va. -- The Christopher Newport women's basketball team surged past Southern Virginia University in exhibition action on Thursday night, scoring 47 second-half points to come from behind for a 77-71 victory on the road. 

The Captains trailed by as many as 15 points twice in the second quarter when Eliza Galbreath converted a three-point play to give the home team a 34-19 lead and then again when she buried a triple with 1:58 remaining for a 39-24 advantage. Bailey Hodges and Natalie Terwilliger each sank a pair of free-throws and Julia Ng added a layup for a 6-0 run to cut the lead at the break to nine, 39-30. 

The run would carry over into the second half when sophomore Anaya Simmons scored the first six points of the third quarter to pull the Captains back within one possession, 39-36, after the 12-0 burst. Southern Virginia held off the rally for another four minutes, but CNU finally took the lead iwith 3:41 remaining in the third stanza after two free-throws by Marissa Gallagher. The lead would change hands four more times in the third quarter as the Captains rally had erased the first-half advantage taken by the Knights. 

Southern Virginia took the lead again with the first bucket of the fourth quarter, 55-54, but Simmons tied it up on the next possession with a free-throw and then scored back-to-back layups for a little breathing room. The home team would not disappear, however, as Courtney McKrola finished in the lane and Amanda Wood converted a pair of free-throws to tie the game at 59. Wood added a go-ahead three-pointer with 5:41 remaining to make it 62-59, but it would be the last time the Knights led in the game as Christopher Newport closed on an 18-9 run, including 13 points from the free-throw line, to seal the win. 

Simmons, Jovia Winkey, Sondra Fan, and Natalie Terwilliger combined to go 8-for-10 from the charity stripe in the final two minutes to hold off the Knights. 

In the contest, Simmons led all scorers with 24 points while adding nine rebounds on an impressive 10-for-14 shooting performance. Fan added a 16 point showing with four rebounds and three assists. Winkey, with 12 points, and Terwilliger, with 10, rounded out the double-figure scoring performances for Christopher Newport. 

Southern Virginia also had four players in double figures with McKrola leading the way with 16 points and eight rebounds. 

Christopher Newport will continue it's busy week with a road trip to Marymount University on Saturday, March 6 for an exhibition matchup with the Saints. Tip is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.