ADA, Ohio -- After trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half, the No. 10 Christopher Newport women's basketball team roared back in the third quarter to take a commanding lead on 18th-ranked Hope College, and held on from there for a 79-74 victory in the NCAA Sweet 16. The Captains (28-2) move on to the program's third appearance in the sectional final, as they will take on undefeated hosts and 5th-ranked Ohio Northern University on Saturday night. 

Trailing at the half for just the sixth time this season, the Captains used a lopsided 32-13 third quarter to flip the script on the Flying Dutch, and get out to a game-high 14-point lead early in the fourth frame. CNU used its patented team defense to smother Hope in the third, grabbing nine steals and forcing ten turnovers. The Flying Dutch, who had shot 40% in the first half (12-for-30), managed just three made baskets on 11 attempts in the third stanza, for 27.3% shooting.

Creating havoc on the defensive end led to easy buckets for the Captains, who shot 55% in the third (11-for-20), led by seven points apiece from Devon Byrd, Makeda Wright, and Anitra Thomas.  Hope led by eight after making the first basket of the second half, a layup by Angelique Gaddy, but from there, the Captains took over. A 22-7 run got CNU in front, 53-46, as sophomore Madison Howdyshell led the way on the defensive end. Howdyshell, who missed the last three games with an injury, grabbed four steals in the third.

After a pair of free throws from Jacquelyn Schwark with 2:05 left in the third, CNU closed the quarter on another 10-2 run to take a 63-50 advantage headed into the final ten minutes. Makeda Wright drained a three with 30 seconds left, and then picked up a steal and fast-break layup with time expiring to cap the spurt. 

The Captains scored four of the first six in the fourth quarter to take a game-high 14-point lead, 66-52, but it would be far from a runaway for CNU in the last nine minutes of action. The Flying Dutch chipped away at the lead, and with 2:47 remaining, Francesca Buchanan drilled a turn-around jumper to cut the lead to two, 70-68. On the next possession, Hope was at the line with a chance to tie, but Tyra Smith missed the second shot and CNU came away with a huge bucket on the other end. Junior Bailey Dufrene drove to the basket and slipped in the layup to retake a three-point lead, 72-69. After a timeout, Smith made a long three-pointer to tie the game at 72, but just seconds later, Dufrene answered with a huge three to take the three-point lead again. 

Smith again made a shot for Hope with 1:21 remaining, but the Flying Dutch missed their chance to tie things up in the last minute. With only one team foul, the Captains were able drain almost 30 seconds off the clock before heading to the free-throw line, where Makenzie Fancher drained both of her attempts. With ten seconds remaining, Hope tried for a quick two, but missed, and Porter grabbed the rebound. The junior leader knocked down one of her two free-throws to ice the win. 

The thrilling second half was set up by a back-and-forth first quarter that saw neither team lead by more than five points. Hope took the lead for good with 4:31 remaining, though, and built the advantage to 11 with 3:32 remaining in the second quarter, 32-21. A trio of three-pointers from Makenzie Fancher, with one, and Anitra Thomas, with a pair, helped close the gap before heading to the locker room, and got CNU the momentum. Hope led by six at the break, marking only the sixth time in 2016-17 that CNU has trailed at intermission. The Captains are now 4-2 under those circumstances. 

Sam Porter put together another impressive performance for the Captains, scoring a game-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, while grabbing 11 rebounds. Devon Byrd added a double-double, grabbing 13 rebounds to go with her 14 points. Thomas added 13 points and Dufrene had 11, including the pivotal five in the last two minutes, as the CNU offense continued to showcase it's balance. 

The nation's leading team in getting to the free-throw line, the Captains were 18-of-30 from the charity stripe. CNU broke the program record for free-throw attempts in a single season (752), while moving up to third in all-time makes (505). 

With the loss, Hope College ends its season with a 24-5 overall mark after the highly competitive sectional semifinal matchup could have swung in either direction. The Flying Dutch advanced to Friday night's matchup with a win over previously unbeaten Thomas More College, who had not lost a game since the 2013-14 season. CNU picked up its eighth straight win, and will play in the Elite Eight at 8:00 pm Saturday night, with a berth in the national semifinals on the line. CNU and ONU have never met in women's basketball.