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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Captains winning formula remained unchanged tonight, as Christopher Newport surged to its seventh straight victory, winning 77-53 over Shenandoah University (5-10, 2-6). The Captains used a balanced offensive attack and tough defense to improve to 12-3 overall, 7-1 in the USA South.

Three players finished in double figures for the Captains, led by sophomore Tia Perry with 14 on 7-of-9 shooting. Nicole Mitchell finished with 12 points to go with eight boards, and senior Jerlisa Bowser had her second straight 11-point performance with a trio of three-pointers.

CNU led wire-to-wire, building a double-digit lead halfway through the first stanza. A 10-0 run in the middle of the first half gave CNU a 13-point lead with 8:48 remaining, Senior Lauren Gural finished the run with an open-court steal and fast-break layup to give CNU the 23-10 lead.

The Captains took a 35-21 lead into the break, leading by 14 against the visiting Hornets. CNU held Shenandoah to 28.6% (8-28) shooting in the first half, while the Captains knocked down 38.2% (13-34).

The CNU offense raced out of the locker room, posting a 25-8 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half for a game-high 31-point lead. The run led to a 58.1% shooting percentage in the second half as CNU spread the offense between 10 players on 18-of-31 shooting.

Freshman Kiara Marks had a season-best performance in her second-half minutes, knocking down three shots for six points and adding a steal.

Shenandoah had an improved half offensively, knocking down 47.6% of its shots, but managed just 21 attempts in the second half. From the free-throw line, the Hornets hit 10-of-11 shots in the second half, led by Abby Gallagher's 6-for-7 performance on the night. Gallagher finished with a team-high 11 points for the Hornets, while Holly Chittendon added 10.

The Captains defense forced 20 turnovers, grabbing 15 steals and a pair of blocks. Perry had five steals for the Captains, to go with her game-high 14 points. CNU rookie Camry Green scored nine points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds off the bench.

Christopher Newport will now hit the road for three straight, including this Saturday's game at Peace. Tip is set for 2:00 pm in Raleigh.