NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The 10th-ranked Christopher Newport Captains (19-2, 13-1) moved into a tie for first in the Capital Athletic Conference standings on Saturday afternoon, after avenging an early January loss to 21st-ranked Marymount University with a 70-52 victory at home. Playing in front of a season-high home crowd of nearly 600 at the Freeman Center, the Captains put together a strong offensive performance against one of the nation's top defensive units to win their eighth straight game. 

The Saints and Captains are now knotted atop the league standings with matching 13-1 CAC records with just four games remaining in the regular season. The two teams had already locked up a spot in the 2018 CAC Tournament and will battle for playoff seeding the rest of the way. 

CNU led by as many as 19 points in the game, taking a 49-30 advantage with 2:52 remaining in the third quarter. The Saints would mount a comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, but could not close to within 10 points as the CNU offense answered the call in the final minutes to seal the conference win.

The front court had a stellar performance against the vaunted Marymount defense as starters Jessica Daguilh (15 points, 10 rebounds), and Micah Maloney (10 points, 9 rebounds) also combined for five blocked shots. CNU also saw the return of senior Sam Porter after missing most of January with an injured hand. Porter scored eight points, grabbed four rebounds, and earned four steals in her first game back, while playing 19 minutes. 

The Captains took an early lead when senior Makenzie Fancher notched her 120th career three-pointer on the second possession of the contest, tying Kinsey Pritchett for third all-time at Christopher Newport. The senior guard is shooting a career-high 35% from long range and now ranks 7th all-time in career shooting percentage from beyond the arc (.325). 

Marymount would teeter in front by one twice in the first quarter, but the Captains built a first-half lead that would never be relinquished. After carrying a nine-point edge into the locker room, 31-22, the Captains raced out of the break with seven of the first nine points in the third quarter to take a 15-points lead, 39-24. Daguilh scored three layups in the spurt while Fancher connected on one jumper. Moments later, after a jumper by Tyffani McQueen pulled the Saints back within 13, Zhara Tannor and Kiana Kirkland drilled triples for the Captains to take a game-high 19-point lead midway through the third quarter. 

In the final frame, the Saints clawed back within 10 on a layup by McQueen with 3:57 showing on the clock, 62-52, but the Captains defense ratcheted back up and held the Saints scoreless over the final four minutes of play. On the other end of the floor, Daguilh connected on a three-point play and the Captains went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line for the final verdict, 70-52. 

CNU shot 41.3% from the floor (26-63) while connecting on five three-pointers. The Captains had a strong performance from the charity stripe, going 13-for-15 for an 86.7% shooting effort. Four Captains finished in double figures, led by Daguilh's third double-double of the season. Kirkland added 12 off the bench, while Tannor and Maloney each scored 10. Tannor also dished six assists and added three steals for the Captains while shooting an efficient 4-for-6 from the field. 

Marymount played only nine players in the game, and only seven saw more than nine minutes of action. Regan Lohr scored a game-high 16 points and Nicole Viscuso added 13 points and eight rebounds. 

Christopher Newport will return to action at home on Wednesday, February 7 at 5:30 pm as they welcome Southern Virginia University in CAC action.