NCAA Women's Basketball Bracket

Christopher Newport downed Hope 79-74 in the NCAA Sweet 16 on Friday evening to advance to Saturday's quarterfinals, while Marymount gave unbeaten St. Thomas all it could handle before falling 62-55. 

CNU (28-2) advances to Saturday's Elite Eight, where they will meet host Ohio Northern (30-0) at 8 p.m. Ohio Northern topped SUNY Geneseo 72-55 in the other sectional matchup in Ada, Ohio. The winner of Saturday's contest will move on to next weekend's Final Four in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The Captains trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, stormed back to take a commanding lead in the third quarter, and then held off a furious Hope rally in the fourth for the victory. Sam Porter scored a game-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, while grabbing 11 rebounds. Devon Byrd notched a double-double, grabbing 13 rebounds to go with her 14 points, while Anitra Thomas scored 13 points and Bailey Dufrene added 11 in a balanced attack.

Marymount, meanwhile, saw its season come to a close with a record of 24-6. The Saints went neck-and-neck with the third-ranked Tommies throughout the entire 40 minutes, ultimately succumbing to a 17-4 run over the final nine minutes of play in the 62-55 loss. 

After a back-and-forth first half, the Saints trailed for nearly the entire third quarter. With time winding down in the frame, Leah Hurst blocked a St. Thomas three-point attempt and connected on a half-court heave to give Marymount a 46-45 edge entering the fourth. 

The Saints carried the momentum from the play into the early stages of the fourth, jumping out to as large as a six-point edge at 51-45 with nine minutes left. The Tommies turned it on after that, however, closing the game on a 17-4 run. 

Kiki Laux led a balanced MU offense with 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Hurst also reached double figures with 12 points, while Tyfanni McQueen scored nine and Nicole Viscuso and Regan Lohr added eight apiece.