NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The eighth-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team rolled to a 73-52 win on Thursday night in the Capital Athletic Conference Semifinals, taking down #4-seeded York College of Pennsylvania (18-9). The stingy CNU defense was tough again, holding the Spartans to just 52 points while forcing 30 turnovers. With the win, CNU improves to 24-2 overall and will host the CAC Championship Game on Saturday, February 25 at 2:00 pm. 

CNU picked up their fourth straight win to earn a trip to the program's second CAC Championship Game appearance, and the first the team will get to host as the top-seeded Captains will welcome in #2 Mary Washington (23-3) at the Freeman Center. It will be part of a championship doubleheader with the men's team, who will host second-seeded Salisbury University at approximately 4:30 pm. 

The game was the second straight for CNU against the Spartans, who closed the regular season matched up on February 18. CNU won that game on the road, 64-53, to clinch the top seed throughout the CAC Tournament. On Thursday, the game story was much of the same as CNU raced out to a big lead and held onto the advantage throughout the second half. 

After York opened on a mini 7-2 run, hitting their first three shots, the Christopher Newport defense locked in. Morgan Kuehne hit the third of those shots with 8:09 remaining in the first quarter, and the Spartans were held empty for the rest of the frame. CNU forced York to go 0-12 the rest of the first quarter, and started the second period 0-3 before finally ending a massive CNU spurt with 5:11 left before halftime. The Captains defense worked for 16 turnovers in that same stretch, while the offense poured in 24 unanswered points to take a 17-point lead, 26-9. 

The lead would grow to as many as 21 in the first half when Makeda Jumper stepped by a defender and buried a short jumper to make it 32-11 with 2:58 remaining. A short burst by the Spartans tried to stymie the Captains' momentum, but junior Bailey Dufrene hammered home a long three-pointer from the top of the key to respond, and sophomore Zhara Tannor added two free throws with less than ten seconds left to carry a 37-19 lead into the break. 

With 16 steals in the first half, the Captains had already eclipsed their season's per game average, and were doing it up and down the lineup.  No player had more than three steals, and in the second quarter, seven different players earned a theft. Sam Porter, Zhara Tannor and Makenzie Fancher led the smothering defense with three steals apiece in the first half. 

Meanwhile, on the offensive end the Captains finished shooting 43.3% (13-30) in the first 20 minutes. Porter had nine points to lead the way for the Captains, while knocking down 3-of-5 shots. York recovered a bit in the second quarter, and finished the first half shooting 30.4% (7-23), including three triples. Morgan Golec had seven points in the second to lead the first half scoring for the Spartans. 

After the intermission, the visiting team came out with renewed energy and cut into the double-digit lead during the third quarter. Shooting 50% (9-18) in the frame, the Spartans cut the lead to seven, 50-43, with 34 seconds remaining in the third. Morgan Kuehne and Katie Wagner each poured in eight points to lead the way, while Sam Hruz and Sarah Shearer added four points apiece. After forcing 23 turnovers in the first half, the Captains picked up only two more against the tough York offense in the third. 

Despite the valiant comeback, the Captains resiliency was too much for York, as the Captains regrouped to start the fourth quarter and never let the Spartans get within two possessions. Makenzie Fancher scored five of the first six points in the fourth, and Sam Porter made a big defensive play to put a punctuation mark on the fine defensive effort. The junior forward grabbed her fifth steal by jumping into a passing lane with 3:30 remaining, and raced to the bucket for a fast-break layup to put CNU back on top by 16. She also converted the next time down the floor on a beautiful dish by Anitra Thomas, feeding her classmate on a fast break with a line drive pass through a pair of defenders on the cut to the basket. With an 18-point lead again, the Captains sailed to the 21-point win, finishing off the 73-52 win. 

Porter led all scorers with 18 points on 6-12 shooting, while adding eight rebounds, five steals and a pair of blocked shots. Her five steals gives her 93 on the season, moving up to eighth in the single season record book at CNU. Fancher added 15 points, powered by three treys. CNU shot 41% (25-61) from the field, including a 35% effort from long range (7-20). 

Four Spartans finished in double figures, led by 12 from Kuehne. Sam Hruz (11), Morgan Golec (11), and Katie Wagner (10) rounded out the double figure scorers for York. The Captains' tough three-point shooting defense, which ranks third in the nation, held the Spartans to just 3-of-23 shooting from long range for a 13% effort. 

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday, February 25, as they host the nationally-ranked University of Mary Washington. The Eagles held on at home to beat third-seeded Marymount University in overtime during their semifinal matchup on Thursday evening, 56-54. The Captains and Eagles split their regular season matchups this year, with each team winning on their home floor.