Box Score YORK, PA – The Christopher Newport Captains women's basketball team remained red hot as they used a big second half to down the York College Spartans 59-50 in Capital Athletic Conference action on Saturday afternoon in York. The Captains, who are ranked 19th in the most recent WBCA Coaches Poll, have now won 16 straight, the top win streak in the CAC.
The Spartans fall to 17-6 overall and 11-5 in the league. The Captains are now 21-2 overall and 14-2 in the conference.
The first quarter was a low scoring period as both teams struggled to shoot and take care of the ball. The quarter featured four lead changes before the Spartans pushed out to a 9-5 lead with 3:26 left in the period. York took an 11-8 lead to the second quarter.
The second 10 minutes of play was a bit more offensive for the two squads. The Captains tied the game at 15 on a Sam Porter free throw with 5:48 left in the half. After Devon Byrd hit a lay up, Sam Hruz (White Marsh, Md./Mercy) canned a three pointer to give York an 18-17 lead midway through the period. York would hold onto the lead the rest of the half as they took a 24-21 advantage to the intermission.
The story of the game was the second half as the Captains dominated the third and fourth quarters, outscoring York by a combined 38-26 to cruise to the win. The difference came on the boards as they outrebounded the Green and White 25-9 as they shot a blistering 57.1% from the field in the second 20 minutes of the game.
The Captains opened the second half on a 10-4 run to push out to a 31-28 lead. The Spartans tied the game at 32 and again at 36 but it would be all Captains from there. CNU tallied the final three points of the third quarter and carried the run into the fourth as they outscored York 12-3 to push out to a 48-39 lead with 5:39 left in the game. York cut the lead to three on a Beth Wiseley (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) three with 2:56 left but the Captains closed out the game with an 8-2 run to provide for their final nine-point margin of victory.
Jessica Daguilh powered the Captains with a career-high 20 points as the freshman was an incredible 10-for-11 from the floor in her 14 minutes of work. She also had three rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals for CNU. Devon Byrd added a double-double as she had 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds in 31 minutes of play. Byrd was 6-for-12 from floor and 2-for-3 from the free throw line. She also had two assists and a steal. Sam Porter chipped in eight points, five rebounds, three assists, three blocks and three steals for CNU.
Katie Wagner (Glen Rock, Pa./Susquehannock) led the Spartans with 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Wagner was 4-for-7 from the field including 1-for-1 from three and 2-for-2 from the line. Junior Karli McFatridge (York, Pa./York Catholic) had a good day as she tallied nine points in just 13 minutes of play. She was 3-for-5 from the floor, 1-for-2 from three, and 2-for-2 from the line. Morgan Kuehne (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) added eight points, three rebounds, a block and an assist in her 34 minutes of play.
The Captains finished the game shooting 40.0% from the floor, buoyed by the 57.1% second half shooting percentage. CNU was 3-for-21 (14.3%) from three and 8-for-17 (47.1%) from the free throw line. York shot 30.9% in the game while they were 6-for-19 (31.6%) from three. The Spartans were sharp at the line as they converted 10-for-11 from the stripe.
The Captains finished the game with a 48-31 edge in rebounding while they also held a 42-12 margin in points in the paint. Both teams struggled to take care of the ball as CNU had 19 turnovers while York had 18 miscues. CNU had a 14-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
The Captains' win, combined with the Marymount loss at Mary Washington, leaves CNU tied for first place in the league with two regular season games remaining. York will likely be the fourth seed in the CAC tournament which starts on Tuesday, February 23.
The Green and White makes their final regular season road trip of the year on Wednesday night when they head to Frostburg State University to face the Bobcats. Tip time at the Bobcat Sports Arena is set for 6:00 pm.
Morgan Kuehne photo courtesy of Joe Rodgers - Five Star Media
