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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Rookie Jalynn Ponzo led a stellar defensive performance in the first half for Christopher Newport, as the Captains (10-4, 6-1) raced past St. Mary's College of Maryland (3-9, 3-4) for a 66-43 victory. Ponzo had a career-high seven steals, including five in opening stanza, as CNU gave up just eight first-half points with only two made field goals. 

Christopher Newport scored the first 13 points of the game, rushing out to an early lead and never looking back. The opening run was 23-3 in the first 9:07 of game time, and built to 30-4 with 6:51 remaining before the Seahawks managed to hit their second field goal of the half. Nina Haller stopped the drought with 4:20 remaining, knocking down a wide-open layup off an assist by Anna McClain, joining Haley Riebling as the only St. Mary's players with a basket in the first 20 minutes. 

At halftime, the Captains stifling defense had forced 16 turnovers with 11 steals and three blocked shots. Ponzo had five steals, helping CNU post a 15-4 margin in scoring off turnovers, while Bailey Dufrene and Sam Porter each added a pair of thefts. In the half-court, the team defense swarmed the Seahawks, holding the visitors to just 2-for-27 from the floor, good for just 7.4%. 

On the offensive end, the Captains spread the ball around with Jordan Miller going 3-for-3 with a team-high eight points, while Dufrene and Devon Byrd each added seven. Nine different players found their way into the scoring register in the first half as CNU knocked down 12-of-23 attempts for a 52.2% shooting percentage. 

The second half was a far closer affair, with the Seahawks finding their shooting stroke, led by Haller and Kerri Kline. The two St. Mary's players combined for 33 points, with 30 coming after halftime. The 31-point lead at the break would prove to be a game-high for the Captains, as St. Mary's chipped away for the final margin of 23, 66-43.

A jumper by Haller with 6:44 remaining would cut the lead to 16, 48-32, but that proved to be as close as they could claw, as CNU's bench answered with several key shots late. Makeda Wright drilled a three-pointer from the corner on an assist by Makenzie Fancher, and Sam Porter was fouled on the way up on a layup by Bailey Dufrene, and connected on the three-point play to push the lead back to 22. Late in the game, rookie Anitra Thomas would bury a pair of three-pointers to finish 3-for-3 from the field with eight points. 

Ponzo scored a team-high 12 points in the game, on 5-8 shooting, while also grabbing seven steals, three rebounds and dishing three assists. Senior Camry Green missed out on her fifth straight double-double, but hauled in 11 rebounds to go with three steals and four points.

Haller had a game-high 17 points and 14 rebounds for St. Mary's (Md.), while Kline added 16 points. Despite the rough first half, the Seahawks managed to shoot 27.1% from the floor in the game with a solid second half, going 14-32 for a 43.8% mark. 

CNU will return to action this Saturday with a pivotal matchup against Marymount University on the road, with tip set for 2:00 pm. With a three-point loss at Salisbury Wednesday, Marymount falls to fourth place in the league with a record of 9-5 overall, 5-2 in CAC action. The Captains are tied for second with Mary Washington, who they will host on Wednesday, Jan. 21, as the tight race atop the league standings continues to play out.