STAUNTON, Va. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team is set to take on Mary Baldwin University (0-2) in a mid-week matchup on Wednesday evening, with tip-off slated for 6:00 p.m. The Captains (3-0) will be taking on the Fighting Squirrels for the first time since 2013.
CNU owns a 16-6 advantage in the all-time series against Mary Baldwin including a 7-4 mark in games away from home. The Captains have won seven straight at the Mary Baldwin Physical Activities Center, including a 60-24 win in conference play during the 2012-13 season, the last time the two teams have matched up. The Captains also captured a 74-39 win at home against the Squirrels that year, running the winning streak against Mary Baldwin to 11 straight games.
This season, the Captains have been a well-balanced force outscoring their first three opponents by an average of 36.3 points per game.
Alivia Giles leads the team with 10.7 points per game while
Anaya Simmons and
Katy Rader have each added 10.3 points per game. Giles has knocked down 15 of her first 18 shots this season, ranking tenth in the nation in field-goal percentage in the early going.
Sophomore
Hannah Kaloi is coming off a game in which she sank nine of ten shots for a career-high 20-point showing against LeTourneau and the second-year player is averaging 9.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game so far this year. CNU has continued to showcase it's depth with 11 different players averaging over 10 minutes per game and only two players over 20 minutes per contest.
Mary Baldwin opened the season with setbacks at Bridgewater and home against Roanoke last week. The Fighting Squirrels have been led by junior guard Mya' Coleman, scoring 18.0 points per game while also grabbing 6.5 rebounds per game. Newcomer Gianna Gilmore has hauled in 16 rebounds through her first two games while sophomore Mekayla Clarke leads the team with 8.5 rebounds per game.
Following the road trip to Staunton, Va. on Wednesday, the Captains will return home for a matchup against Goucher College at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 19.
