Lynchburg, Va. -- University of Lynchburg's women's basketball team staged a late comeback Saturday afternoon but couldn't close the gap entirely, falling 74-65 to 16th-ranked Christopher Newport in the opening game of the Lynchburg Holiday Classic.

Senior forward Molly Shephard (Charlottesville, Va.) tallied a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds, her sixth double-double of the season, while freshman guard Lizzie Davis (Knoxville, Tenn.) scored 16 points to go with six rebounds and eight assists.

Sophomore guard Carolyn Noe (Fairfax, Va.) added nine points for the Hornets.

Freshman center Kate Kolb (Morris Plains, N.J.) chipped in eight points and six boards off the bench.

Jessica Daguilh led the Captains with 18 points and 10 boards, and the CNU press defense was stifling. The turnover bug bit Lynchburg 26 times in the game.

Emory & Henry defeated Meredith, 70-54, in Saturday's second contest.

THE RUNDOWN

Final: No. 16 Christopher Newport 74, Lynchburg 65

Records: No. 16 Christopher Newport 9-1, Lynchburg 4-7

Venue: Wayne Proffitt Court at Turner Gymnasium, University of Lynchburg, Lynchburg, Va.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Lynchburg started the game with a 10-4 run as Shephard scored eight of the Hornets' first 10 points, but the Captains tore off the next six points to tie the game at 10. CNU closed the first period with an 8-1 run to open up a 22-15 lead.

• The Captains held their lead through the second and went into halftime with a 41-33 advantage.

• CNU opened the third with a 7-0 run to push the lead into double digits and led 64-45 with 10 minutes to play.

• Lynchburg stormed back at the start of the fourth, however, as Davis' 3-pointers bookended a 15-2 run that cut the deficit to 66-60 with 5:42 remaining. That was as close as the Hornets would get, however, as the visitors closed the game with several scoring possessions.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Hornets will wrap up the Lynchburg Holiday Classic with a 4 p.m. tilt against Meredith Sunday, Dec. 30. The game will follow the 2 p.m. matchup between Christopher Newport and Emory & Henry.

--LYN--