ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Playing on the road against 11th-ranked Muhlenberg College in the NCAA Tournament Second Round on Saturday night, the 21st-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball not only didn't shy away from the pressure, but thrived in a dominating 65-42 win over the host Mules (25-3). The Captains (24-4) were led by sophomore point guard Makenzie Fancher with a career-high 21 points, but it was team defense, as it has been all season, that propelled CNU into the Sweet 16. 

In the second quarter, Christopher Newport held one of the most potent scoring offenses in the nation, ranked 20th in the country coming into the matchup, to just five total points. Then, in the third, they were up to the task again, holding the Mules to just nine points as the offense extended the lead to nearly 30 points headed to the fourth and final stanza. Muhlenberg was averaging nearly 74 points per game on 42.3% shooting from the floor coming into the contest, but the stingy CNU defense held the Mules to a season-low 42 points on 27.7% shooting. 

Meanwhile, on the other end of the floor, the Pennsylvania native in the Captains' rotation made sure the trip to her home state would be memorable, firing for a career-high 21 points. She knocked down 8-of-13 total attempts including a torrid 5-of-9 from long range. Not just the leading scorer, she also set a career-high with eight assists in the contest, narrowly missing her first career double-double.  

Outside of Fancher's stellar individual performance, the Captains were balanced throughout, with nine other players getting into the ledger, all between two and eight total points. Rookie Jessica Daguilh had eight points and a game-high nine rebounds off the bench, while Bailey Dufrene added seven points on 3-of-5 shooting. 

CNU never trailed by more than two points in the game and led from late in the first quarter on. After a three-pointer by Rachel Plotke with 4:02 remaining in the first quarter made it 10-8 Muhlenberg, the Captains sparked a 30-9 run heading into the locker room for a 38-19 advantage. Led by a blistering performance from outside in the second quarter, the Captains outscored the host Mules, 23-5, in the second stanza. CNU hit five triples in the quarter with three coming from Fancher and one each by Anitra Thomas and Makeda Wright. 

With a big lead headed into the second half, the Captains' suffocating defense continued to force difficult shots in the third quarter, as the run continued in favor of CNU. A buzzer-beating three-pointer by Fancher at the end of the third quarter made the lead 27 with just 10 minutes remaining, 55-28. Then, just over three minutes into the fourth quarter, Thomas, Zhara Tannor and Fancher connected for the first six points of the final stanza to go up 61-28, for a game-high lead of 33 points. 

Muhlenberg would score 14 of the final 18 points for the final tally of 65-42. CNU put the final touches on the program's largest NCAA Tournament victory since an 81-52 win over York (Pa.) in the 2011 postseason, in which the Captains reached the Final Four. 

The win marks the third trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 in just four seasons under head coach Bill Broderick, and the sixth in program history. The Captains will advance to play the University of Scranton, ranked No. 3 in the nation heading into the NCAA Tournament. The Royals are 29-0 this season and earned their bid to the Sweet 16 with a 60-44 win over fellow CAC member Marymount University.