Wheaton, Ill. -- The Wheaton women's basketball team found themselves in an unusual situation on Saturday afternoon: hosting the number one team in the country for a nonconference game in February. Despite falling 69-53 to Christopher Newport inside King Arena, the Thunder can be proud of how they equipped themselves against the latest side to sit atop the national rankings. Today's defeat was Wheaton's only loss in nonconference play this season, meaning the Thunder's overall record now sits at 14-7. Wheaton's Caroline Sikkink led all scorers with 17 points to her name, and Annika Richardson was close behind with 16 of her own.
Pulling the upset was never going to be easy against a team that has won 34 consecutive games, and two baskets for Christopher Newport within the first minute didn't help matters. But Sikkink got Wheaton on the board on their next possession via a jumper in the paint. After falling behind 7-2 two minutes in, the Thunder mounted a 9-0 run over the next three minutes of play to build an 11-7 lead. Hannah Swider kicked things off with a fastbreak jumper, before consecutive baskets from Lily Schwen and Sikkink gave the home side their first lead of the day. Sikkink then capped the turn of momentum by knocking down Wheaton's first three of the game and getting the King Arena faithful out of their seats. It took until just past the halfway point of the first quarter for the Captains to regain their offensive touch, but the visitors eventually rebounded and pulled back in front at 14-13. After an Annika Richardson floater in the lane restored Wheaton's advantage, Christopher Newport scored a free throw and the final two baskets of the quarter to end the period 19-15 in front. The Thunder registered four of the first six points in the next period to cut CNU's lead to two, but Wheaton then went cold from the field and missed their next nine shots. Their opponents finally found their scoring groove and blew the game open by mounting a 12-0 run to earn their first double-digit lead of the day. Ellie Cassel earned the last four points of the quarter from the free throw line, but these were only enough to cut the Captains' lead down to 15, and the visitors from Virginia entered the locker room with a 40-25 cushion.
Wheaton outscored their guests 14-12 in the third quarter, but the second half was relatively drama-free, as the top-ranked squad in the country successfully kept their challengers at bay. The Thunder thrice managed to get within 13 points of the Captains in the third quarter, including from a layup by Richardson to end the period at 52-39. But Christopher Newport's balanced style of play, high rate of forced turnovers, and well-rested bench made the difference down the stretch, and the hosts never managed to get within single digits of their ranked opponents in the second half.
Despite the final scoreline, Wheaton maintained a better shooting percentage than their visitors on Saturday. The Thunder posted a 42% mark from the field, while limiting the Captains to a 38% figure. Christopher Newport went 8-31 (25.8%) from beyond the arc, while Wheaton settled for 21.4% off of a 3-14 total. The home side were solid from the free throw line, going 8-10 in the contest, trumping CNU's 43.8% effort. The two teams finished tied at 39 in total rebounding and each side earned 13 fastbreak points. Wheaton tallied 16 assists to the Captains' 13, but the rest of the box score statistics help explain the disparity on the scoreboard. Christopher Newport held comfortable advantages in the turnovers, points off turnovers, bench points, points in the paint, and second chance points categories.
Beyond her game-high point total, Caroline Sikkink collected five rebounds, earned two assists, and pinched three steals. Annika Richardson grabbed seven rebounds and blocked a shot to go with her high-scoring performance. Ellie Cassel joined Richardson on seven rebounds, while also contributing eight points and a takeaway. Hannah Swider led all players with five steals, scored five points, snagged seven boards, dished out four assists, and blocked one shot in a well-rounded showing on Saturday. Lily Schwen scored a basket and led the team with five assists to go with her three rebounds and one block. Bryn Durrill registered two points and gathered an assist in her 16 minutes of play off the bench. Alexis Martin contributed two points in a brief cameo. Hannah Turner got her name on the scoresheet when she sank a free throw in the final seconds of the game. Caylee Hermanson and Ana Mooney both collected two assists and a single board, Taylor Sanders grabbed a rebound, and Paris Chaney came up with a steal.
After Saturday's unique contest, Wheaton can turn their attention back to conference action. A three-game road stretch is next on the agenda for the Thunder, beginning with a trip to Rock Island to face Augustana on Wednesday.
