NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The red-hot shooting Captains returned in full-form to the Freeman Center on Saturday afternoon, knocking down over 50% of their attempts for the third time in the last four games en route to an 89-61 win over Penn State Harrisburg (7-10, 1-5). Christopher Newport picked up a bounce-back victory in Capital Athletic Conference action over the Lions, improving to 13-4 overall and 4-2 in conference action. 

The strong shooting performance was led by rookies Jessica Foster and Natalie Terwilliger, who each knocked down 6-of-11 attempts from the field. Foster buried three triples and led all scorers with 19 points while Terwilliger was one of three Captains in double figures with 13 points. Sondra Fan rounded out the freshmen trio in double figures by scoring 12 points. With her three made baskets from beyond the arc, Foster now has 45 in her first 17 games, surpassing Chelsie Schweers' program mark for the most three-pointers in the same stretch to start a career (42). 

As a team, the Captains knocked down 30 of 58 attempts from the field for a 51.7% shooting effort, marking the second best team performance shooting the ball this season. The Captains also hit eight three-pointers, led by Foster's three and two each from Fan and Phylicia McInnis. 

The defense also registered their finest performance in 12 games, holding the Lions to just 29.3% shooting (22-75) including a 21.4% effort from long range (12-56). The 56 three-point attempts are the most ever taken in a single game against the Captains and the second time this season the Lions have heaved more than 50 shots from beyond the arc. 

The CNU defense did a sensational job building a first-half lead, holding the conference foe to just five points in the first quarter and eight in the second. On the other end, CNU scored 49 points in the first half to carry a dominant 36-point edge into the locker room, 49-13. 

In the first quarter, CNU held Penn State Harrisburg to just 2-of-17 shooting from the floor while the Captains' starting lineup scored all but two points in building a 17-5 edge. Jessica Foster scored in transition twice and Kiana Kirkland buried a couple tough layups to lead the way. In the second quarter, Foster caught fire from long range, hitting a pair of three-pointers and finishing the frame 3-for-3 with 8 points. Sondra Fan also scored 7 of CNU's 32 points in the second quarter. 

The Captains led, 9-5, with 1:31 left in the first quarter when they pieced together a 12-0 run that continued into the second quarter. After the first five minutes of the second stanza, CNU had blown open the game to a 23-point lead, 32-9, after a 23-4 spurt capped by Foster's two first-half triples. 

With a comfortable lead in the second half, CNU build the lead to a game-high 40 several times before the three-point shooting of Penn State Harrisburg managed to trim the advantage in the final minutes. The Captains defense held the lead to more than 30 for all but the final five seconds of the second half where the score finished at 89-61. 

The team passing was exceptional for CNU in the win as sophomore Jasmine Norman and junior Kiana Kirkland each finished with a team-high four assists. Foster and Marlise Brunson each chipped in three while Julia Ng and McINnis had two apiece. The Captains won the battle on the boards narrowly, with a 43-41 final count led by Natalie Terwilliger's eight rebounds. A well-balanced rebounding night saw eight players register at least three boards in the game. 

Senior Shanique Mattis finished with a double-double and narrowly missed a triple-double against the Captains as the Harrisburg guard managed 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 steals. Kendis Butler hit six three-pointers and finished the game with 19 points for the visitors. 

Christopher Newport will return to action at home against Salisbury University on Wednesday night to finish the first half of the round-robin schedule against the league. The Sea Gulls fell to Frostburg State on Saturday, creating a three-way tie for second between CNU, FSU, and Salisbury at 4-2 in the league standings. Game time is set for 5:30 pm against the Sea Gulls, with live stats and video available at CNUsports.com.