TACOMA, Wash. -- Powered by another astounding defensive effort in the third quarter, the Christopher Newport women's basketball team pulled away from the host Loggers of Puget Sound (0-2) on Monday night to complete a two-game sweep in the Evergreen State with an 81-57 win. The fifth-ranked Captains (2-0) were led by sophomore guard Mia Wilson with a game-high 14 points including eight in the decisive third quarter. 

A contentious first half that featured nine lead changes in the first 20 minutes was turned into a blowout in the third quarter when the Captains turned a four-point lead into a 21-point advantage heading into the final ten minutes. Up by only two baskets, 39-35, with 8:07 left in the third period, the Captains' defense forced seven turnovers and held the Loggers to just 2-for-10 shooting coming out of the locker room to establish a dominant lead. 

Mia Wilson's first triple came with 7:16 left in the third period to trigger a 21-4 finish by the Captains. Rookie Emma O'Connor made a nice slash to the basket on the right side of the floor and Wilson cut between defenders on the next possession for an easy deuce. After Puget Sound answered each of those shots to make it 46-39, the Captains scored the final 14 points of the period to pull away. 

Hailey Kellogg knocked down a mid-range jumper and then Wilson buried her second long-range bucket to make the spread 12. After a steal by Caitlin Crump, Kellogg ran out the fast-break layup with 2:35 left and the lead continued to balloon. Sydney Sherman and Emma O'Connor knocked down 3-of-4 free throws in the final two minutes while Crump and O'Connor each added tough shots in the lane to wrap up the big run. 

Early in the fourth quarter, the home team attempted to mount a comeback, but it was again a three-ball from Wilson that silenced any chance of a comeback. After pulling within a baker's dozen with 5:22 left in regulation, 66-53, Alexia Lindsey finished with the hoop and the harm, converting a traditional three-point play. Then, on the next trip down the floor, Lindsey set up Wilson for a thunderous three that put the Captains back up by 19 with just over three and a half to play. 

With limited time left on the clock, the 2024 NWC Champions could get no closer than 16 as the Captains were confident at the stripe, knocking down 7-of-8 at the line in the final two minutes to ice the win. 

In two games played at the Doug McArthur Classic the Captains surrendered only seven points in the third quarter. Christopher Newport outscored Willamette and Puget Sound, 39-7, in the first period after halftime and pulled away in both games. 

Before the game could get to that point, the Captains were locked in a heated back-and-forth in the first half. Both defenses controlled the action with CNU forcing 21 turnovers in the first half; the Captains would finish the game with 35 turnovers forced and 14 steals recorded, led by four from Lindsey. 

The Loggers opened up a 10-4 lead to start the game before CNU knocked down four straight free throws and took the lead on a smooth three-pointer from the left wing out of the hands of Gabbi San Diego. After Puget Sound momentarily re-took the lead, rookie Katerina Dakos sank a long two off a feed from Hannah Kaloi to give CNU a four-point edge. 

In the second quarter, Christopher Newport build the lead to eight on a three-pointer by Elizabeth Creed on the wing, but timely shooting from the home team erased that lead with a 13-0 run to teeter back in front by five, 29-24. Righting the ship at the close of the half, Christopher Newport turned to rookie Madison McKenzie for a three-pointer on the right side and the rookie was fouled on the attempt. She barely disturbed the netting with three perfect strikes from the stripe and then got a shooter's bounce on a three-pointer from the corner the next time down the floor to give CNU the lead right back. A personal 8-0 run by McKenzie would be punctuated by a layup to make it 32-31 with less than a minute to go. Creed added a bucket and the Loggers dropped in a three to tie before the final possession. There, the Captains had an inbounds play with just over two seconds remaining -- Lindsey got the pass, swung to her right and Hailey Kellogg rained one in as the buzzer sounded for three to give the Captains a 37-34 edge at the break. 

Wilson's 14 points led all scorers while CNU also got double figures from Hannah Kaloi and Gabbi San Diego. Both veterans poured in 11 points while Kaloi managed a perfect 4-for-4 from the field with a 3-for-3 effort from the line. Creed added nine points and eight rebounds with three assists while playing a team-high 27 minutes on Monday.

Christopher Newport will now return to the East Coast for the Captains' home opener on Wednesday night. CNU will welcome Averett University for a 6:00 p.m. tip at the Freeman Center. Live stats and a live video webcast will be available at CNUsports.com.