SALISBURY, Md. – Heading into the holiday break, the 10^th-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team will be unbeaten for just the third time in program history. After a hard-fought 75-66 win on the road at Salisbury University (7-2, 3-1), the Captains improved to 9-0 overall with a 4-0 mark in conference play. 
 
Leading by only one at halftime, 37-36, the Captains turned to sophomore Jessica Daguilh in the second half in a dominating performance. Daguilh matched her career high with 20 points, scoring 16 in rapid succession during a stretch late in the third quarter and starting the fourth.
 
She was also a big part of another strong rebounding performance for Christopher Newport, outrebounding the home team by 11 in a 40-29 final count. Daguilh had eight boards, while junior Sam Porter led all players with 11. Porter picked up her first double-double of the season, adding 18 points while continuing to lead the squad defensively, with five steals.
 
In a back-and-forth first quarter, Salisbury led by four on three different occasions, including at 13-9 with 2:17 remaining. From there, however, it was CNU that opened up a double-digit lead behind a 16-2 run that spanned just over five minutes of game time into the second quarter. With 7:16 left in the second quarter, the Captains looked to be in control, up 25-15, powered by junior Devon Byrd in a solid offensive performance. Byrd scored 10 points in the first half, including six in the second stanza.
 
Salisbury countered, though, and took momentum into the locker room by outscoring the Captains 21-12 the rest of the half. A three-pointer by Mary McDonagh and a layup by Josephine Noonan in the final two minutes cut the lead to 37-36, after Salisbury shot 60% in the quarter.
 
The Sea Gulls were a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in the first half, and shot nearly 50% as a team from the floor (13-28). Christopher Newport was at exactly 50% (13-26) with three made triples and an early edge in rebounding.
 
Coming out of the locker room, the game continued to teeter, with Salisbury taking their first lead since it was 13-9 with a triple from McDonagh to open the second half. CNU answered with a bucket from Daguilh, triggering her big second half. The lead changed hands four times in the early stages of the third quarter, but a three-pointer by Zhara Tannor with 6:31 remaining put the Captains up for good.
 
The long-range bucket keyed a 12-3 run for the Captains to re-take an eight-point lead, 54-46. Daguilh had four more points in the run, including on a sensational one-handed grab on a pass in from the corner by Bailey Dufrene.
 
Putting the team on her back, Daguilh scored ten straight points and 12 of 13 for the Captains between the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth. Behind her, the Captains opened up a double-digit lead again, up by 11 at 62-51.
 
With just over six-and-a-half minutes remaining, the Captains were able to match the Sea Gulls the rest of the way. A layup and free-throw from Sam Porter gave the Captains the largest lead of the night at 72-60 with 1:31 remaining, before solid free-throw shooting finished off the Sea Gulls.
 
Daguilh's 20-point effort came on 10-of-17 shooting as she led the way for CNU in a 44.1% team effort (26-59). Byrd finished 4-of-9 with 13 points, three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
 
The league's leading scorer, Lauren Rothfeld, finished with just 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting against the tough CNU defense. Mary McDonagh was the team leader on Saturday, scoring 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Four Sea Gulls were in double figures as Kaylyn French and Josephine Noonan each added 10.
 
The Captains are now off until December 30, when they host Virginia Wesleyan College in the final game of 2016. Game time is set for 2:00 pm at the Freeman Center.