FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- The eighth-ranked University of Mary Washington Eagles held serve on their home court on Wednesday night, moving back into a first-place tie with fifth-ranked Christopher Newport (19-1, 12-1) after handing the Captains their first loss of the season, 74-69. Just two weeks after CNU won their end of the home-and-home conference series with the Eagles, Mary Washington repaid the favor and both teams now have just one loss on the season, to each other. 

The setback snapped the second-longest win streak in program history, which was also the second longest roll to open a season at 19 games. The Eagles led wire-to-wire after CNU was hampered by a slow start on the offensive end. The Captains cut the lead to one on two different occasions, but the home team managed to hold off a complete comeback and pulled away in the fourth quarter for the win. 

Facing a large home crowd of over 800 at Ron Rosner Arena in Fredericksburg, the Captains struggled from the field in the opening quarter. CNU went without a made basket through the first seven and a half minutes of action before Sam Porter finally connected on a layup. Thanks to the rough start by the Captains, Mary Washington burst out of the gate on a 17-2 run prior to Porter's put-back with 2:32 remaining in the opening quarter. Anitra Thomas added a layup and a pair of free-throws for a small 6-0 run for CNU, helping to start move the CNU offense in the right direction. 

Despite the rough start, the Captains managed to score 13 points in the first quarter, and trailed the home team by just 11 after weathering a 75% shooting effort (9-12) in the first ten minutes by Mary Washington. Taylor Barton and Brianne Comden each had eight points in the first to lead the way for the Eagles, while CNU was led by five from Thomas. 

The remainder of the game favored CNU, with a combined score of 56-50 in the final three quarters of action. The defense led the way, forcing a season-high 26 turnovers out of the usually sound Mary Washington offense, and the Captains offense started to chip away.  In the second quarter, a 14-4 run got the Captains all the way back within one point, 30-29, with just over two minutes remaining, but the home team answered with a 6-0 spurt to take a seven-point lead into halftime, 36-29. 

Makeda Wright and Devon Byrd were the big factors in the CNU comeback in the second quarter, erasing the 15-point deficit with seven and five points, respectively. Wright was 3-for-4 while Byrd scored on both of her buckets, including a three-point play with 6:27 remaining. Sophomore Jessica Daguilh also had four points in the period, including a layup off the glass to cut the lead to one. 

CNU scored the first six points of the second half to cut the lead to one again, 36-35, but again the Eagles answered with a run of their own. Bailey Dufrene had a three-point play, followed by a short jumper by Porter and a free-throw by Tannor to open the half hot for CNU.  Over a three-minute stretch, the Eagles had the lead back to nine and extended all the way to ten by the end of the third quarter, 55-45. 

The fight never stopped for the feisty CNU squad, clawing back to within four again in the fourth quarter. After Elizabeth Dofflemyer put down a pair of free-throws with 8:20 remaining, the Captains keyed yet another run, running off 15 of the next 20 points to get the score back to 67-63 with less than two minutes to go. Zhara Tannor had the last bucket in the run, slicing through the lane and laying it up and in with her left hand. Down the stretch, though, the Eagles continued to connect from the free-throw line and held off the Captains from cutting into the lead any further.  

Brianne Comden had a sensational game for the Eagles, scoring 26 points with seven rebounds on 9-of-18 shooting. Barton, who had eight points in the first quarter, finished with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting to finish as the only other Eagle in double figures. 

Devon Byrd had an impressive second half, and finished the game with an impressively efficient 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting. She buried a big three-pointer from the corner as CNU staged their final comeback attempt, and she also grabbed five rebounds and four steals. Three Captains finished in double figures as Makeda Wright added a career-high 15 points and Tannor added 10. The most stunning statistic in the box score was a season-low five assists on 24 made baskets for the Captains. 

Defensively, CNU forced 26 turnovers and grabbed 13 steals in the game. The Eagles shot 50% (24-48) from the field, while CNU managed just 37.5% (24-64).

Christopher Newport will look to bounce back on Saturday, February 4 as they travel to St. Mary's College of Maryland for another conference road game. CNU will close the regular season with four of six games away from the Freeman Center, including Wednesday's loss. Tip for the game against the Seahawks on Saturday is set for 2:00 pm.