LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The 19th-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team would get double-doubles from each of its senior leaders, Nicole Mitchell and Tia Perry, as the pair combined for 46 of CNU's 75 points in a thrilling overtime victory on Sunday, 75-70, over Lynchburg College (4-5) on the road.  Mitchell led all scorers with 25 points and Perry's 14 rebounds and four blocks led both squads as CNU improved to 6-2 overall this season.

In the Captains' first game in eight days and second to last tilt before the winter holiday break, the Captains needed to shake off an early game slump to battle back for a 34-34 tie at halftime. On the other side of the floor, the defense held Lynchburg to a tough open as well, as the two teams combined for just 15 points in the first 11 minutes of the game.

With the scored tied, 10-10, with 8:13 remaining, a run by Lynchburg would get both offenses clicking late in the first half. A 13-4 spurt by the Hornets would give the home team the largest lead of the night at nine points, 23-14, with 4:48 remaining. The quick four-minute run was led by Shannon Allan, who would eclipse the 1,000-point plateau in the game. She scored eight points in the roll and finished the first half with 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting to get over 1,000.

The Captains, facing the nine-point deficit, turned up the heat with a full court press and started to force turnovers in the back court. In the final four minutes of the frame, CNU put together a 15-9 swing of their own to chip away at the lead, led by Mitchell. The senior forward hit four straight baskets to close out the first half for CNU, giving the Captains a 34-33 lead that would close to 34 all after Sammi Smith went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line on the final possession.

CNU scored 11 points off of turnovers in the first half and shook off ten turnovers and an early 2-for-11 start to the game, to finish at 41.8% from the field in the first half.  Both Mitchell and Perry had 12 points, while Perry grabbed eight rebounds.

The second half followed a similar story line, and again finished with both teams scoring 34 points in the half. CNU started the scoring early, building a quick six-point edge less than four minutes into the half. Sophomore Kendra Stone had a three-point play to cap a 10-4 start to the stanza, giving CNU a 44-38 lead. A 12-5 response by Lynchburg, though, would see the lead teeter back in favor of the Hornets, 50-49, with 12:19 remaining. After the Captains tied the game at 52 on a free-throw by Andrea Hobbs, Lynchburg looked to take control again. 

Over the next three minutes, the Hornets scored seven straight points and nine of the next 11 to take a 61-54 advantage with 7:37 remaining. Like in the first half, though, the CNU defense would pick things up to get the Captains back in the game. The CNU defense held Lynchburg without a made basket for the next five minutes of game action, cutting into the deficit and tying things up on a critical three-pointer by sophomore Jordan Miller with 4:26 remaining. Mitchell also had a trey in the roll, with five points total as CNU clawed back to a 64-64 deadlock with 4:26 remaining.

Chaney Forbush would end the drought from the field for Lynchburg with 2:38 to go, and Shannon Allan added a layup to give the home team 68-64 edge with less than two minutes to go. After a bucket cut the lead in half out of a timeout, it was another Lynchburg turnover that gave CNU a chance to tie and force overtime. The team turned to its red hot senior leader, Nicole Mitchell for the attempt, taking a open look for three from the wing. It was off, but a clutch offensive rebound by Andrea Hobbs led to an easy follow-up lay-in by Mitchell, who followed her first shot. 

The Captains nearly had the win in regulation, when Perry grabbed a steal and gave CNU the final possession with 29 seconds remaining. She missed a layup and sophomore Brandi Holland grabbed another big offensive rebound, but could not put down the second chance opportunity before the buzzer sounded.

In overtime, CNU never trailed, getting back-to-back buckets from Perry and Mitchell to take a 72-68 lead. After a pair of made free-throws by Forbush, another senior stepped up from the charity stripe, as Hobbs went 3-for-4 to close out the win for the Captains.

Mitchell matched her season high with 25 points, leading all scorers, while adding 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Her stat line included six steals while shooting 50% from the field on 11-of-22 attempts. Perry, as usual, filled the stat line as well, scoring 21 points for her fourth 20+ point performance of the season, while hauling in 14 rebounds for her third double-double. Perry added four blocks and three steals to go with one assist. Another senior also had a stelar game, as Hobbs finished with a season- and career-high tying nine rebounds with four assists and five points. Sophomore Kendra Stone also had nine rebounds for the Captains.

Lynchburg finished with three players in double figures, led by Allan's 20-points in her historic performance, going 10-of-20 from the field. Forbush finished just one rebound shy of a double-double, adding 13 points and nine rebounds, while Jaimie Grace finished with 11 points. 

CNU shot just 35.9% from the field in the game, but held a decided edge on the offensive glass (22-12) and had a +5 rebounding margin in the game (50-45). After the first half, CNU outrebounded the Hornets 32-22.

The Captains have one more game before taking off for the holidays, as they host Salisbury University (4-2, 1-0) on Wednesday, December 18. Live stats and live video will be available at CNUsports.com.