Career performances from Giles and San Diego lead #5 Christopher Newport by Marymount, 87-77

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Powered by a pair of double-doubles from Christopher Newport seniors Alivia Giles and Gabbi San Diego, the fifth-ranked Captains improved to 16-1 this season with a hard-fought 87-77 win over Marymount (12-5) on Wednesday night. Both players set career highs as Giles poured in a personal high 28 points to lead the offense while San Diego became the first player in nearly 15 years to dish out 10 or more assists with a career-high performance in her first career double-double. 

The Captains and Saints battled back-and-forth for most the game with 11 lead changes and six ties until a fourth-quarter burst by the home team extended the lead to double digits in the final minutes. It was a 13-2 run that spanned just over four minutes in the middle of the period that gave the Captains an 86-74 lead with less than three minutes to play, holding off the upset-minded Marymount squad. 

Giles scored nine of her career-high 28 points in the fourth quarter on 4-of-5 shooting while also grabbing four rebounds. San Diego also used the red-hot offense in the final period to boost her game to the double-double level. Having scored 11 points in the first three quarters, San Diego dished out five dimes in the final ten minutes to earn the first points-assists double-double for CNU women's basketball since Captains' legendary hall of famer Chelsie Schweers accomplished the feat against Mary Baldwin on January 28, 2009. That game was also the last time any player had 10 or more assists as San Diego joins an exclusive list of just five Captains to accomplish the feat; she joins Karen Barefoot (11 times), Amy Kolly (vs. Methodist on Jan. 13, 1990), Tomorrow Lofton (vs. Ferrum on Feb. 14, 2004), and Schweers in a feat that has been achieved only 15 times in CNU lore. 

In addition to the individual milestones, the Captains also added to their NCAA-leading home winning streak with the 46th consecutive victory in the Freeman Center. That mark ties Millikin from 1997-1999 for the 13th longest run in Division III history. 

The win was all but a runaway, though, as Marymount managed to keep the game within two possessions for all but 1:13 of game time until the fateful fourth quarter run. In the first half, the Saints went ahead by as many as five when it was 30-25 with 8:38 remaining in the second quarter, but the Captains responded with a 10-2 run to take the lead halfway through the period. After a frenetic surge by both teams in the middle of the period, with six buckets scored in less than 90 seconds, Giles converted on a tough finish at the rim and was fouled to pull CNU back within one, 40-39, headed into a timeout. She hit the free-throw after the break, tying the score, and then she would add another layup two possessions later to give CNU a lead they would never again relinquish. 

Giles powered a 9-0 run that included a nice scoop shot by McKenna Snively and a pair of free-throws by Hannah Kaloi to give the Captains the largest lead of the first half at six points, 46-40. Marymount added a pair from the line for the first-half lead of four, 46-42, with both teams shooting exactly 50 percent from the field. The Saints made five first-half three-pointers and CNU had four as both teams were also impressive from beyond the arc, shooting over 50 percent. 

Early in the second half, CNU built the lead to seven on three different occasions, but the Saints pulled the score back within two possessions each time, not allowing the Captains to pull away. A three-pointer by Symantha Shackelford to end the third quarter got the score back to within two, 63-61, and then a traditional three-point play by Chandler Eddleton with eight minutes remaining made it a one-point game, 69-68. After the teams traded successful trips to the free-throw line, it was 73-72 with 6:43 remaining -- that's when the Captains took over. 

Starting the run, Giles finished second-chance points on an offensive rebound and then found Kaloi for a finish in the lane on the next possession. Marymount answered with their only bucket of the run, but CNU caught fire behind their senior point guard as the next four field goals were assisted by San Diego. She set up a long three-pointer from the corner by Katy Rader, a mid-range jumper by Giles, and a slashing layup by Camille Malagar before once again finding Rader for a baseline jumper. 

The court vision led to open shots and the open shots led to a dozen point difference with 2:30 to go. From there, Giles iced the game at the line and CNU forced the Saints to miss five of their last six shots from the field. 

Giles' career-high scoring performance came on 10-of-16 from the field while adding an 8-of-11 showing at the free-throw line. She hauled in 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season while adding three blocks, two steals, and two assists. Kaloi added 19 points on 6-of-13 from the floor while also posting a strong line at the charity stripe with 6-of-7 made. Finally, San Diego's first career double-double came with 11 points and 10 assists in 29 minutes while the senior point guard only had two turnovers in the game. 

As a team, CNU dished 25 assists on 32 made field goals while adding six blocks and 12 steals on the defensive end. For the game, the Captains shot 50 percent (32-64) from the field including five made three-pointers. Marymount, who ranked No. 1 in the nation in free-throw shooting entering the Wednesday night bout, finished just 11-of-20 from the line (.550). Eddleton had 28 points and 14 rebounds to lead the way for Marymount while Shackelford added 21 points. 

Christopher Newport will next travel to Salisbury University on Saturday, January 13 for a matchup with the Sea Gulls. Tip against the C2C foe is set for 2:00 p.m.