ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. – The Susquehanna University women's basketball team kicked off 2020 at the St. Mary's College of Maryland New Year's Classic Friday night, taking on Christopher Newport University in their first matchup of the tournament. Susquehanna (7-3) dropped just its third game of the season, 90-79, to the Captains (10-4) despite shooting a season-best 57.4-percent from the field, including 50-percent from downtown.
 
Susquehanna 79, Christopher Newport 90
 
How It Happened
First Quarter

• Christopher Newport and the River Hawks traded baskets in the first two minutes of the contest with Susquehanna staking a 7-4 lead at 8:14 on a layup by sophomore Amalia Esposito (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour).
• The Captains took over from that point, ripping off a 10-0 run over the next four minutes, before junior captain Erin McQuillen (Cresskill, N.J./Cresskill) put in SU's first basket at 4:22.
• A Phylicia McInnis three-pointer at 2:58 stretched CNU's advantage to 22-11.
• Susquehanna responded by outscoring the Captains, 15-4, in the final two-and-a-half minutes of the quarter, including back-to-back triples by McQuillen and junior guard Alexa Petrozzino (East Hanover, N.J./Hanover Park) 34 seconds apart in the final minute, to head into the second frame deadlocked at 26-26.

 
Second Quarter

• The Captains used a 10-2 start to the second period to open up a 36-28 advantage at 6:43 as Susquehanna struggled to take care of the ball against CNU's press.
• SU regrouped and strung together an 11-2 run, which was capped by first-year guard Kaitlyn Lynch's (Andover, N.J./Newton) three-ball to give the River Hawks its first lead (39-38) since 8:14 of the opening frame.
• An old-fashioned three-point play by Kiana Kirkland put CNU back on top by two with 1:16 left in the half but with junior forward Madi Welliver's (Turbotville, Pa./Warrior Run) first points of the season, the two sides headed into the locker room at halftime deadlocked once again at 41-41.

 
Halftime

• McQuillen hit all four of her shots, including two from downtown, to lead all scorers with 10 points while Kirkland also had 10 points for the Captains on 4-of-7 shooting.
• The River Hawks posted a .571 (16-28) field goal percentage in the first half, including a blistering 64.7-percent in the first period, compared to CNU's 45.9-percent after the Captains dropped from 64.7-percent in the first to 30-percent in the second.

 
Third Quarter

• The lead changed six times in the first six minutes of the second half before Kirkland's layup at 4:05 sparked a 14-2 run by the Captains, giving them a 70-57 advantage with 35 seconds remaining in the third.

 
Fourth Quarter

• Christopher Newport maintained its double-digit lead in the final frame, leading by as many as 16.
• The River Hawks trimmed the lead to 10 three times in the final 10 minutes but would get no closer.

 
Inside the Box Score

• Christopher Newport forced SU into a season-high 33 turnovers and gained 37 points from those miscues.
• The Captains also controlled the glass, outrebounding Susquehanna, 42-31, and marking a season-low in rebounds for the River Hawks.
• Defensively, SU put up a season-high seven blocks for the second time this season as junior guard Nevin Hoenninger (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) had two.
• CNU evened up the all-time series with Susquehanna at 1-1 with tonight's victory.

 
Top Performers

• Hoenninger paced the River Hawks with a career-best 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting while adding three boards, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.
• McQuillen finished with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-5 from behind the three-point arc. She also contributed five caroms and three helpers.
• Kirkland and Natalie Terwilliger each tallied a game-high 18 points while Sondra Fan chipped in 10 to lead Christopher Newport in the win.

 
Up Next for the River Hawks

• Jan. 4 at St. Mary's (Md.) (3-7) – St. Mary's City, Md. / MPOBARC Arena – 4:00 p.m.

 
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