YORK, Pa. -- Rookie Jessica Daguilh registered her first career 20-point performance when she knocked down 10 of 11 attempts from the field on Saturday afternoon, powering the 19th-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team to their 16th straight win. Sophomore Devon Byrd added a career-high 16 rebounds in a double-double as CNU used a dominant second half to get past York College (Pa.), 59-50. 

The win, paired with a win by Mary Washington over Marymount, moved the Captains into a two-way tie atop the CAC standings with the Saints. CNU improves to 21-2 overall with a 14-2 record in conference play while the Spartans fall to 17-6, 11-5. The 16-game winning streak matches the second longest in program history, trailing only a 30-game run in 2009-10. 

Daguilh's career-high performance made a huge impact on the way the game turned for the Captains. After trailing by three points at halftime, Daguilh went 7-for-7 from the field in the second half, leading the way as CNU flipped the score. Facing one of the league's top defensive front courts, including league-leading shot blocker Sam Hruz, the Captains did not bow away from the pressure down low. Daguilh, Byrd and Sam Porter combined for 42 of CNU's 59 total points in the contest. 

The powerful effort down low turned out to be imperative, as the Captains struggled from long range. York's defense allowed CNU to take 21 three-point attempts in the game, including 16 in the first half, but CNU managed to hit just three for the game. A change in game plan in the second half saw the Captains pound the ball down low, and despite facing continual double-teams on the low block, the CNU front court managed to dominate through the congested paint. 

On the defensive end, the Captains held York in check enough in the first half, not allowing the Spartans to extend past a five-point lead. After CNU took a 5-4 lead in the first three minutes, both defenses took over. The Spartans would hold CNU to just three points the rest of the first quarter on a triple by Jalynn Ponzo, and the Captains gave up seven points in the final seven minutes in an ugly 11-8 first stanza that saw the home team take a three-point edge. 

In the second quarter, the two teams matched eachother the whole way with 13 points apiece, leading to a 24-21 Spartans advantage at halftime. Daguilh was a big factor, scoring six points on three shots, igniting her strong performance heading into the third quarter. 

In the first half, Byrd had eight points and seven rebounds, well on her way to her second double-double of the season. As a team, CNU shot just 25% from the floor on 8-32 shooting, including a 2-16 mark from beyond the arc. On the other end of the floor, the Spartans shot 32.1% (9-28) and were led by Katie Wagner's six points and four rebounds. 

The offense kicked back into gear early in the second half as CNU took a one-point lead on the first two possessions with layups by Byrd and Porter. The teams traded the lead back and fourth for the remainder of the third quarter, with Daguilh carrying the load for CNU. Time and time again she got deep on the low block and the CNU guards found her for tough buckets against the double-team. She connected for 14 second-half points including ten in the third quarter. Her last bucket of the third stanza gave CNU a 38-37 and keyed a big 12-2 run that carried into the fourth quarter and gave CNU a nine-point lead, 48-39.

Daguilh continued her success early in the fourth, hitting back-to-back layups to start the quarter, including a nice run out with classmate Zhara Tannor up the middle of the floor. After Daguilh checked out, it was Byrd and Porter that knocked down the next two shots and gave CNU a game-high lead, but York answered with a small spurt of their own to pull back within three with 2:56 showing on the clock. Beth Wiseley hit a triple to pull the Spartans back within one possession and set up an important stretch. After back-to-back turnovers, CNU held possession for nearly a full minute after getting a fresh shot clock on an offensive rebound by Tannor. Her second-chance board led to a long three from Makenzie Fancher from the wing as the sophomore shook off a rough day from the field with a critical and dramatic three-pointer. 

On the ensuing possession, Porter blocked a shot by Morgan Golec and the Captains raced down the floor for a layup by Bailey Dufrene to re-take an eight-point lead, 56-48. In the final minute, Fancher made 3-of-4 free-throws to ice the victory. 

Daguilh's 20-point effort was a game-high scoring performance as she added three rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Byrd collected a career-high 16 rebounds, including 13 on the defensive end, while pouring in 14 points with two assists. Porter's eight-point effort came with five rebounds, three blocks, three steals and three assists.

York was led by Wagner with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. The CNU offense managed to avoid Hruz's shot-blocking prowess, giving up just one denial to the junior, but the Spartans leader finished with eight points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. 

The second-half saw the Captains shoot a scalding 57.1% from the field on 16-of-28 shooting, led by Daguilh's effort. For the game, CNU finished at 40% with 24 made buckets in 60 attempts. The CNU defense continues to stymie opposing offenses, allowing just 50 points on 30.9% shooting (17-55). It was the 20th time this season a CNU opponent has been held to fewer than 60 points in a game. 

Christopher Newport has just two games left in the regular season and will play both at home in the Freeman Center. The Captains will return home on Wednesday, February 17 as they take on St. Mary's (Md.) at 5:30 pm before finishing out the regular season on Saturday, February 20 against Marymount at 2:00 pm.