GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Christopher Newport came away with a big conference road victory today, dropping nationally ranked Greensboro College (8-3, 5-2) for its second straight loss, 48-42. The Captains ran its winning streak to six with another victory, dropping the 20th-ranked Pride on the road and improving to 11-3 overall, 6-1 in USA South action.

"It was a tremendous defensive effort throughout," said head coach Jon Waters. "To be able to hold a team as talented as Greensboro in check for 40 minutes is a testament to the hard work that the ladies are putting in. It's great to see them be rewarded with a win."

CNU overcame a tough night shooting the ball by using stingy defense and solid ball control to come away with the big conference victory. The Captains now sit in a tie with Ferrum College atop the USA South standings.

The two teams traded buckets early in the first half before the Captains pulled away with a big 23-6 run to grab a significant first-half lead, 28-14. GC senior forward Danielle Duncan hit a pair of free-throws to take a 6-5 lead at the 16:47 mark, but the Captains defense held the Pride to just 4-for-19 (.211) the rest of the half while forcing nine turnovers.

Offensively, CNU built the 14-point halftime lead behind senior Jerlisa Bowser's 11 points including a trio of three-pointers. Sophomore Tia Perry added seven points and a pair of rebounds on 3-of-6 shooting.

Perry added three more points on the Captains first points of the second half, knocking down a contested layup and drawing a foul for the traditional three-point play. The free-throw gave CNU a game-high 17-point lead, 31-14 to open the second half.

The home team proved resilient, though, scoring the next 11 points to draw within six points, 31-25, finished on a three-pointer from Bianca Richburg. CNU rookie Camry Green ended the run with a jumper from junior Kelly Halverson, and then helped the Captains take control of the glass. Green had three rebounds on the next three Greensboro possessions as CNU answered with a small 5-0 lead to take a 37-26 lead with 10:12 remaining.

Greensboro attempted a late comeback, but Christopher Newport went 7-for-10 from the free-throw line to hold off the Pride. Four points in the final 15 seconds cut the double-digit lead to the final, 48-42.

Perry stuffed the stat sheet again, scoring a team-high 14 points to go with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Senior Lauren Gural had another double-digit performance on the glass, collecting 10 rebounds and adding five points.

Duncan, the second-leading scorer in the USA South, finished with a game-high 17 points with seven rebounds, while Richburg grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to go with 10 points for a double-double.

As a team, CNU shot just 28.8% (17-59), but turned the ball over just 13 times. The Captains defense held Greensboro to 29.2% shooting on 14-of-48 attempts, but also grabbed 10 steals and forced 20 turnovers. CNU held the Pride to season-lows in points, field goals and rebounding, including allowing just 42 points to a team averaging nearly 70 on the season coming in.

The Captains will put their winning streak on the line this Wednesday, January 18 as they return home to take on Shenandoah University at 5:30 pm.