Willamette Falls to #2-Ranked Christopher Newport 83-51 in Hawaii

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

HONOLULU, Hawaii -- Christopher Newport University (Va.), ranked #2 in the D3hoops.com Women's Top 25 Poll, led by seven points at halftime and then held Willamette University to just 20 points in the second half, as the Captains pulled away from the Bearcats, 83-51, at the Hoop N Surf Classic on Thursday, Dec. 21. CNU advanced its record to 9-1 on the season. Willamette fell to 4-6, with five of the six losses to teams nationally ranked in NCAA Division III or the NAIA.

Celine Gregoire (Sr./Jr., P, Woodburn, OR/Woodburn Academy) topped the Bearcats with 18 points and seven rebounds, while going 8 of 12 on field goals. She also blocked two shots and earned one steal.

Kylie Towry (Sr., G, Medford, OR/South Medford HS) and Britanny Kochenderfer (Jr., G, Klamath Falls, OR/Henley HS/Idaho State Univ.) each added 10 points for the Bearcats. Towry supplied a game-high six assists to go along with four rebounds. Kochenderfer achieved two rebounds, two assists and one steal.

In her career, Towry has scored 1,115 points. She remains in sixth place on WU's all-time list, but has moved within eight points of Alez Zennan (2007-11), who is fifth at 1,123. Towry, who is Willamete's career 3-point record holder, put through her 250th career 3-point shot on Thursday.

Sam Porter led Christopher Newport with 15 points. She was 6 of 12 from the field, and also contributed three rebounds, an assist and two steals. Zhara Tannor followed with 12 points for the Captains, while also accumulating four rebounds, a team-high five assists and three steals. She was 5 for 7 on field goals.

Jessica Daguilh was credited with 10 points, six rebounds and three steals for the Captains. Kiana Kirkland also scored 10 points for CNU, while Jasmine Byrd hauled down a game-high eight boards.

Willamette shot 46.2% in the first half (12 of 26), but slipped to just 15.4% in the second half (4 of 26). The Bearcats were 4 of 27 on 3-pointers during the game (14.8%) and made 15 of 26 free throws (57.7%).

CNU hit 34 of 70 field goals (48.6%) for the game, including 18 of 40 (45.0%) during the second half. The strong overall shooting offset a 1-for-12 performance by the Captains on 3-point attempts. CNU finished 14 of 22 at the free throw line (63.6%).

The Bearcats took a quick 2-0 lead when Elizabeth Logsdon (So., F, McMinnville, OR/McMinnville HS) scored on a layup just 10 seconds into the first quarter. Christopher Newport answered with a 7-0 run that ended with three points from Porter on a layup with 6:47 on the clock and 1 of 2 free throws with 6:16 to go.

A pair of layups by Gregoire cut the margin to 8-6 with 5:27 remaining in the quarter. A bit later, Ashley Evans (Sr., PG, Canby, OR/Canby HS) sank a 3-pointer for the Bearcats to pull WU within 10-9 at the 4:36 mark. After Makenzie Francher scored for CNU, Kochenderfer and Gregoire each put in layups to give the Bearcats a 13-12 lead with 57 seconds left. Jessica Daguilh scored on a layup 16 seconds later to put the Captains in front, 14-13.

Christopher Newport tallied seven of the first eight points of the second quarter to take a 21-14 lead. The 7-1 run began with a 3-pointer by Kiana Kirkland and ended with a fast-break layup from Porter.

The teams alternated short scoring outbursts -- three or five points each -- over the remainder of the half. A 3-pointer by Towry pulled WU as close as 23-18 with 6:04 to go, but CNU scored the next four points for a 27-18 advantage. Willamette cut the margin to 27-22 on a layup by Gregoire as the clock reached 4:21, before the Captains added four consecutive points for a 31-22 edge with 3:48 left. 

CNU held a similar margin at 38-27 following a fast-break layup by Kirkland with 1:11 on the clock. Towry assisted on jumpers by Drew Farmer (So., PG, Brookings, OR/Brookings-Harbor HS) and Gregoire to end the half, as Willamette cut the deficit to 38-31.

Kochenderfer reduced CNU's lead to 38-34 with a 3-pointer on the Bearcats' first possession of the second half. The Captains countered with a 9-0 run that included at least one point from five different players and resulted in CNU holding a 47-34 lead with 5:47 left in the quarter. Willamette scored next on a layup by Gregoire. After the Captains put up two more points, Gregoire added a fast-break layup to pull Willamette within 49-38. CNU led 54-39 at the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Bearcats were as close as 14 points three times, including 64-50 after Gregoire sank a free throw with 5:59 remaining. Christopher Newport ended the game with a 19-1 run.

Willamette will return to the mainland, but will not be back in action until Saturday, Dec. 30, when they are scheduled to host Vancouver Island University. Game time at Cone Field House is set for 7 p.m. (PST).