Box Score


NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Nationally-ranked Christopher Newport shot better than 55 percent as the Captains remained undefeated with a 72-54 win over Averett on Wednesday evening.

Christopher Newport (21-0, 14-0 USA South), which is ranked 10th by USA Today/ESPN and 15th by D3Hoops.com, never trailed after establishing an 8-0 lead over Averett (13-7, 9-5 USA South).

The Captains extended their lead to 23-10 by 11:28 mark in the first half, but Averett fought back with an 8-2 run capped senior Kristyn Wharton's layup that cut CNU's lead to 25-18 with 8:04 left in the half. However, CNU held Averett to a pair of free throws over next four-plus minutes as the Captains pushed their advantage to 34-20 before taking a 40-25 lead into halftime.

Although Averett shot better than 52 percent from the floor in the second half, the Cougars couldn't overcome hot-shooting Captains. CNU, which shot above 60 percent for most of the game, got a game-high 21 points from Chelsie Schweers. Lauren Gural scored 14 points, while Kimmy Hopkins and Kelly Halverson added 13 points and 10 points, respective.

The Captains' lead grew to as much as 25 on several occasions in the second half.

Averett was led by Wharton with 13 points. Junior Ashley Washington and sophomore Kaneshia Slade chipped in with 10 points apiece. Washington also had a team-high eight rebounds.

The Captains outscored Averett 17-5 off turnovers in the first half and 34-18 for the entire game.

Christopher Newport earned the regular-season sweep over the Cougars. The Captains defeated Averett 76-58 in Danville on Jan. 16.

Averett returns to action on Saturday when it travels to face Shenandoah University at 2 p.m.