ARLINGTON, Va.— The Marymount (Va.) University women's basketball team fell short in a Capital Athletic Conference battle against No. 8 Christopher Newport University on Sunday afternoon, just missing a three pointer at the buzzer to drop a 54-51 decision in the Verizon Sports Arena. 

In what played out to be a tight matchup the entire way through, the Saints struck first following a quick layup by senior Kiki Laux to take the early 2-0 advantage. Both squads continued trading points until the Saints pieced together a 6-0 run to pull ahead by five, 10-5. At the end of the first quarter, Marymount remained on top 15-12. 

MU lost its edge momentarily in the second quarter before sophomore Tyffani McQueen knocked down a bucket underneath the basket to tie the game at 19-19. Later down the stretch at the two-minute mark, McQueen buried another shot, this time from beyond the arc to regain the lead, 22-21. CNU battled back, however, to take 26-22 lead into the locker room. McQueen paced the Saints on offense through the first 20 minutes, notching 11 points. 

Junior Leah Hurst added a quick two points to open the second half to get back within two of the Captains, 26-24. Hurst continued the intensity on the offensive end, notching four more points in the first two minutes of play to keep the Saints within three, 31-28. MU kept within striking distance throughout the rest of the third quarter before heading to the benches trailing, 44-39. 

The energy on defense picked up at both ends of the court in the final quarter, with neither team getting onto the scoreboard until nine minutes of regulation remained with McQueen finishing underneath again, 44-41. Laux followed with another layup to get back within one before CNU answered.

At the two-minute mark, Hurst added another two points to tie the game at 47-47, but unfortunately that's as close as the Saints would get. In the closing minute, freshman Regan Lohr cashed in on a deep ball to bring MU within one, but the Captains came back with a lay-in on the other end to push a three-point advantage with 49 seconds remaining.

Down the stretch, the Captains were sent to the free-throw line with a chance to seal up the game, but neither dropped in to hold the score at 54-51. With six seconds, the Saints had one last opportunity to send the game to extra time. Putting the ball in the hot hand, McQueen stepped back as the clocked ticked down and fired up a three from the left wing as the horn went off. Unfortunately, the shot was just off, rimming out to fall short. 

McQueen notched a game-high 15 points, followed by Hurst with 10 to pace the Saints on the offensive end. Hurst also nabbed five rebounds and three steals on the defensive end, while Laux pulled down a team-high seven rebounds to go along with her eight points. 

The women are back in action on Wednesday, January 11, heading to the Eastern Shore of Maryland for another league matchup against Salisbury University. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.