MIDDLETOWN, Pa. -- The sixth-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team shook off a sluggish start on the road Saturday afternoon and leaned on leader Sam Porter in a career night for the junior as the Captains (15-0, 8-0) surged ahead of the Penn State Harrisburg Lions (3-12, 1-7) for a 63-46 win. Porter flipped a two-point first half effort into a career-high 22 points to carry the Captains to their 15th straight win to open the season. 

Facing a Penn State Harrisburg team that led into the fourth quarter against nationally-ranked Mary Washington in their home game against the Eagles, the Captains found similar troubles. For the first time this season, Christopher Newport trailed at halftime when the Lions carried a three-point edge into the locker room, 22-19. It was also the first time this season the Captains had failed to score at least 25 points in a half, as the Penn State Harrisburg defense frustrated the Captains offense, shooting just 21.4% (6-28) from the floor. 

On the flip side, the sturdy CNU defense was doing it's job, holding the home team to just 37.5% (9-24), including a stingy 3-for-11 performance in the second quarter. The Captains forced 15 turnovers and grabbed seven steals to keep the game close while the offense wasn't clicking. Then, in the third quarter, Porter got things moving in the right direction on the offensive end. 

As often is the case for the CNU offense, points were born from the effort on the defensive end. Right out of the break, junior Devon Byrd grabbed a steal and finished an easy fast break layup to pull within one. After a three-pointer by Alexis Nolan extended the lead back to four for the Lions, 25-21, Porter answered with a tough three-point play the old-fashioned way, converting a layup through a foul by Raven Ransom, and hitting the free-throw. Two possessions later, Porter would intercept a Penn State Harrisburg pass and finish the run out to give CNU the lead, 28-27, for the first time since early in the first quarter. 

Nolan would score four points over the next two minutes to teeter the Lions back in front, 31-30, but Porter's effort inside was the answer after that. With 4:41 remaining, the junior forward scored six of the next seven points for CNU, all from the free-throw line. Porter scored 13 points in the third quarter, going 3-for-5 from the floor and knocking down 7-of-9 attempts from the charity stripe. 

Carrying a lead into the fourth quarter, the Captains would never relinquish their advantage as the Captains woke up offensively in the final frame. After Porter held the line almost single-handedly in the third, the Captains got six different players into the scoring column in the final ten minutes, shooting 55.6% (10-18) from the floor to run away with a game-high 26 points. 

A 24-6 run did most of the damage, including a 12-0 spurt that flipped a one-possession 43-40 game to a insurmountable 15-point edge, 55-40, in just three minutes of action. Porter finished out her stellar performance with the highest scoring total of the season for a CNU player, notching a career-high 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting, with a 10-of-13 effort at the line. She just missed a double-double, grabbing nine rebounds, while adding six steals. She now has 199 career steals, just three shy of the top ten all-time in career thefts in CNU program history. 

Devon Byrd helped CNU get going in the first half when shots weren't falling, and finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Anitra Thomas added nine points and three steals, while Makeda Wright came off the bench to add six points, four steals and three rebounds.  

For the game, the Captains used a 51.7% (15-29) shooting effort in the second half to raise the team's total field-goal percentage to 36.8% (21-57) for the game.

Defensively, it was another banner game for the Captains as a whole, forcinig 32 turnovers and grabbing 18 steals. CNU added one blocked shot, from Bailey Dufrene, and held the Lions to 46 points on 33.3% shooting (17-51). It marks the 13th time in 15 games that CNU has held their opponent to 51 points or less. 

With the win, the Captains set up a showdown for first place in the Capital Athletic Conference in their next game, as Christopher Newport will host the University of Mary Washington on Wednesday, January 18. The matchup is believed to be the first time two teams with perfect records have matched up this late in the year, as both teams sport matching 15-0 overall records, paired with 8-0 starts in league play. Tip is scheduled for 5:30 pm from the Freeman Center.