SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University women's basketball team battled hard but couldn't solve the puzzle of undefeated top-ranked Christopher Newport, falling to the Captains, 69-44, on Saturday afternoon at Maggs Physical Activities Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After the Captains clocked in with the game's first six points, Emily Dilger and Tori Rumbaugh netted back-to-back field goals to make it 6-4 at the 7:27 mark of the first quarter. CNU punched back with a three from Gabbi San Diego that set off a 9-0 run to boost the Captain lead to 15-4.
• Nadia Bullock went on a 5-0 run by herself to get SU within 15-9, but the Captains closed the opening period on a 7-1 push, capped by a Hannah Kaloi jumper that made it 22-10 at the end of the first.
• Salisbury regrouped and kept pace with CNU in the second quarter. After a triple from Sondra Fan, Alex Bull poured in a layup and Bullock followed up with her own trey, getting the Sea Gulls within 25-15 at the 7:32 mark.
• The teams went back and fourth through the rest of the second. CNU pushed the advantage to 15 in the final minute, but two Bullock free throws brought it back to 34-21 at the half.
• The third quarter began as a defensive struggle with both sides managing just four points each in the first five minutes. Lauren  Fortescue broke the deadlock with a three-pointer at the 3:23 mark to spark a 9-0 CNU run. Hailey Ader stopped the bleeding with two foul shots to cut the SU deficit to 47-27 to close out the third.
• The Sea Gulls carved six points off the margin in the first portion of the fourth quarter. Dilger accounted for six points as part of the 11-5 rally that reduced the CNU lead to 52-38 with 4:50 to go.
• The Captains regrouped behind back-to-back treys from Fan, pushing the lead as high as 27 on the way to a 69-44 victory.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Nadia Bullock led the Sea Gulls with 12 points off the bench, shooting 4-of-8 from the floor.
• Emily Dilger netted 10 points (5-of-12) with six rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
• Hailey Ader chipped in six points from the foul line, while Ashlynn Burrows and Abby Wilkinson netted four apiece.
• The Sea Gulls shot 30.6 percent (15-of-49) from the floor, going 2-of-4 (50 percent) from distance and 12-of-16 (75 percent) from the stripe.

CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT GAME NOTES

• Katy Rader led a balanced Captain attack with 15 points, shooting 5-of-11 overall and 3-of-8 from three-point range. Rader also notched three rebounds and dished out four assists.
• Sondra Fan knocked down four three-pointers for 12 points, while Hannah Kaloi contributed 11 points, seven boards and three steals.
• Anaya Simmons approached a double-double with eight points and 10 boards.
• The Captains hit on 45 percent (27-of-60) of their field goal attempts, shooting 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) from deep and 6-of-8 (75 percent) from the foul line.
• CNU outrebounded Salisbury 41-27, including 15-9 on the offensive glass.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls will lace up for their regular season finale on Saturday at Mary Washington.
• Tipoff from Fredericksburg, Va., is set for 1 p.m.

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Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football, Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse and the Metropolitan Swimming and Diving Conference for men's and women's swimming. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, and dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on-and-off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 22 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 188 conference championships and 43 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.