NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Following the Senior Day ceremony that highlighted the pregame festivities, Kelly Halverson kept the show rolling and pieced together a night to remember as the fourth-year standout drained a career-high 27 points, including seven three-pointers, to help the 22nd-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team storm past Averett, 82-36, on Sunday evening at the Freeman Center.
With the victory, CNU (23-2, 16-2) secured a share of the regular season USA South title and locked up the No. 2 seed in next week's postseason tournament. The Captains will open up the playoffs on Friday at 3 p.m. when the squad battles Greensboro in the first round at the NC Crown Center Arena in Fayetteville, N.C.
On Sunday, Halverson was the simply the star of the night. The senior went 9-of-15 from the field and rained in seven from beyond the arc to lead the potent CNU offense. In a well-rounded effort, she also hauled in four rebounds, picked up a pair of steals, and notched a block.
In addition to their senior leader, the Captains received 12 points and nine boards from Camry Green. Nicole Mitchell and Tia Perry also chipped in with nine points and five assists apiece, while La'Shay Lucas had seven rebounds, six points, and three steals.
Fittingly, Halverson got things rolling right out of the gate as she drained a deep three and added a layup to give the squad a fast 5-0 advantage. Later, after Perry converted an old-fashioned three-point play, Halverson picked up right where she left off after turning a perfect pass from Mitchell into another three on the way to a commanding 13-2 edge.
After that, Green, Mitchell, and Perry hit a string of layups before Halverson drained a pair of free throws to keep the 11-point lead at 21-10. Later, Green dropped in a pair of layups and cleaned up on an and-one to push CNU's advantage to 29-13. With the game rolling along beautifully for the Captains, Halverson stepped up again and hit a pair of daggers from deep before the squad converted the last six free throws of the first half to secure a huge 47-15 lead heading into halftime.
Holding onto a 32-point edge coming out of the break, Christopher Newport never lost control of the momentum. Mitchell knocked down a quick jumper before Halverson had her finest run of the game. In just over three minutes of action, the Poquoson, Virginia native sank three more from downtown before adding a gorgeous punctuation mark to her incredible streak.
On a nifty defensive play, Halverson swiped her second steal of the game and went running on a 2-on-1 break with Brandi Holland. With numbers on their side, Halverson hit Holland under the basket before the freshman dished back to her teammate for a fantastic fast-break layup.
With the Captains up 63-20, the hosts slowly eased into the victory. Holland assisted on two more layups and Lauren Bochonokknocked down a pair of shots during an eight-point streak in the middle of the second half to give Christopher Newport a 47-point lead. With time running down and the victory in hand, Lucas hit a jumper, Holland drained a three, and Anika Trent capped off the scoring with a pair of free throws to seal the 82-36 victory.
Overall, the Captains held a 49-32 advantage in rebounding and forced 25 Averett turnovers. CNU finished with 16 steals during the game, including three apiece by Mitchell and Lucas. Halverson, Perry, and Holland all swiped a pair as well.