The Women’s Basketball team of Christopher Newport University (CNU) brings their winning streak to twenty four games with a 74-49 win against University of Mary Washington (UMW). 

The first quarter had the Captains fans on the edge of their seats with UMW scoring the first points. It took until past the eight minute mark for the captains to gain a lead which was all thanks to #15, Sondra Fan, who brought the score to 5-6 with Captains in the lead. However, by the end of the first quarter UMW still held a lead with the score being 15-16. 

Alivia Giles #24 brought the energy back into the game with a rebound dunk that brought the score 17-16. The Eagles still had some fight left and shortly after brought the score to a tie 17-17, but #24 once again amped up the ante by driving the ball all the way up the court. Giles then slam dunked the ball off of a rebound again making the score 19-17, Captain’s advantage. 

In the second quarter the Captains and the Eagles were tied with fouls 5-5.  Coaches from both teams were eager to defend their players over any possible mishap. While UMW is not a declared rival like Salisbury University the tension in the air was undeniable. Anaya Simmons, #32, brought the Captains to a healthy lead of 23-17 with eight minutes left in the second quarter.  With one minute left in the second quarter Captains had a lead of 33-28. 

Unfortunately for the majority of the third quarter Amaya Simmons had to sit out due to three personal fouls. However, the Captains stayed strong and kept at least a ten point lead past the three minute mark in the third quarter. By the end of the third quarter the score was 59-42, and the Captains fans took a deep sigh of relief knowing that the game was basically won.

The final score was 74-49. While the team performed beautifully and worked like a well oiled machine the amount of fouls certainly had the potential to change the game out of the Captains favor. Coach Broderick said when asked about how he would prepare for the rest of the season and about the fouls that night, “I think we played with great energy in the second half. Fouls are a part of our game, so we are not going to change anything about that. We will try not to get them (fouls), but we play a lot of people and have a lot of fouls to give.”

Amaya Simmons was asked how she felt having to sit out most of the third quarter, “It was very frustrating. I really wanted to help my team, but I tried my best to keep my energy up and help coach with people on the court. Although it was very frustrating I was proud with what my team could do”

On a more positive note #15, Sondra Fan, was asked about the team’s ability to work together and responded with, “I think our chemistry and personalities work well together. I think when Coach B recruits he recruits people that work well together and just be happy with each other in practice, games, and on the road.”

The star of the game was definitely #24, Alivia Giles. “Alivia Giles really brought the energy up today. We had a slow start, and she was definitely the spark off the bench,” Simmons said.

When Giles was asked what was going through her head through the multiple saves she made she simply said, “I just knew the game was tight, and I had to do whatever to get our ball back and put in the effort to help us win.”