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HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Christopher Newport women's basketball head coach Bill Broderick saw all 16 active players register at least six minutes of game action, and all contributed in a blowout victory over Penn State-Altoona in the Juniata Holiday Classic. The Captains improved to 7-2 overall with an 84-35 drubbing of the Lions and advanced to play the host Juniata College Eagles in the tournament championship at 2:00 pm on Thursday. 

The stifling CNU defense was impressive again on Wednesday, holding Altoona to single digits in three of four quarters. The Lions fell to 2-6 with the setback, while shooting just 18.8% (9-48) against the Captains tough pressure. 

Christopher Newport was led by a career-high 13 points from rookie Ellen Nye, shooting 6-for-9 from the field while also hauling in a team-high six rebounds.  Sophomore point guard Makenzie Fancher also chipped in 13 points, going 5-for-6 from the field with a perfect 3-for-3 day from beyond the arc. Makeda Wright also registered a season-high 10 points to round out the double-figure scoring for CNU. 

The Captains raced out to a quick lead, taking control of the game with a 22-4 run to start the day. Sophomore Anitra Thomas drilled a three-pointer just seven seconds into the game as CNU would lead from wire-to-wire. After a free-throw from Jalynn Ponzo, Fancher followed with eight straight points to give CNU a 12-4 lead. Seven different CNU players scored in the opening spurt, stopped only momentarily by a layup from Megan Wheeler with 41 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The Captains defense allowed just six points in the opening stanza, holding Penn State-Altoona to just 2-for-13 from the floor. 

Despite allowing twice as many points, the second quarter was arguably even more impressive defensively. The Captains allowed only one made field goal in the second period, as Shannon Zimmerman hit the team's only bucket with 3:07 remaining. To start the second, Ponzo, Fancher and Sam Porter knocked down the first three attempts to give the Captains a 22-point lead, 28-6. The lead would grow to 25 before solid free-throw shooting from the Lions kept the Captains from pulling away by even more. At halftime, Christopher Newport was shooting 53.1% (17-32) and carried a 40-18 lead into the locker room. 

The second half followed a similar storyline, with the Captains defense holding Penn State-Altoona to just 6-of-23 shooting for 26.1% from the field. After 40 minutes of action, the Lions were 9-of-48 overall with an 0-for-16 effort from beyond the arc. 

On the other end of the floor, 15 of 16 CNU players registered at least one point, while 13 of 16 managed to grab at least one rebound. The passing was also impressive, with 12 players posting at least one assist. Rookie Zhara Tannor led the way with four helpers, while adding four rebounds off the bench. With 24 team steals, the Captains also saw 11 different players pick up thefts, led by four each from Devon Byrd and Tannor. 

The Captains bench scored 49 points, led by Nye's team-high 13. CNU also scored 36 points off of turnovers, while giving up just six in that category. 

After the win, Juniata captured a 75-51 victory over Alfred, advancing to host Christopher Newport in the championship game on Thursday. CNU will face the host Eagles (4-5) at 2:00 pm on New Year's Eve with live stats and a live video webcast available at CNUsports.com.