Dec 29, 2012
ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. – For just the second time in program history, the Christopher Newport University women's basketball team has won nine straight games to start the season. With a 71-48 victory on the road over St. Mary's College (Md.), the Captains have concluded their non-conference slate unbeaten and will now focus on the USA South Athletic Conference portion of their schedule.
Only once before has a Captains squad won more consecutive games to start a season, and that came three seasons ago when the CNU women went 30-0 and reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 before dropping their first and only game of the year. Senior Kelly Halverson is the only player on the team with memories of that magical season, but the entirety of the 2012-13 squad has yet to feel the sting of setback this season.
The 9-0 start was punctuated on Saturday evening, as the Captains rolled past the Seahawks for the second time this season with a dominant, balanced attack. Sophomore Camry Green had a double-double, with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while junior Tia Perry added 12 points and six boards. Ten more Captains factored into the scoring column, including seven points each from rookies Kendra Stone and Jordan Miller, and eight from junior Nicole Mitchell.
It was the seventh time in the first nine games that CNU has held their opponent to 55 points or less, as the defense once again led the way to victory. They raced out to a 12-0 start, holding St. Mary's to just two missed shots and four turnovers in the first four minutes of action. After getting on the board with a Myeisha Wallace layup at the 16:02 mark, CNU built the lead to 19 points, scoring 11 of the next 13. The Captains led, 23-4, on a layup by Perry with 11:25 showing.
With the defense continuing to dominate, the Captains cruised to a 44-15 lead at halftime. CNU shot a scorching 17-of-29 from the field for 58.6% shooting, and on the flip side, held the Seahawks to a meager 18.2% shooting on 4-of-22 from the floor.
In the second half, the home team managed to outscore the Captains, 33-27, but CNU still held the Seahawks to just 29% shooting in the frame. For the game, St. Mary's knocked down just 24.5% of their shots, a season-low for a CNU opponent.
With the non-conference slate now complete, Christopher Newport will stay on the road for the next seven games in USA South Athletic Conference action. The swing begins Friday, January 4 at 5:30 pm against Greensboro College (5-2).