GRANTHAM, Pa. -- After ranking either first or second nationally in total steals in each of the last four seasons, the "Captains Chaos" defense returned in full effect during game one of the 2019-20 season as the Christopher Newport women's basketball team opened the year with an 87-45 victory over The College of New Jersey (0-1). The Captains forced 37 turnovers and grabbed 19 steals in the opener of the Messiah College Tip-Off Tournament on Friday night. 

Christopher Newport opened the year 1-0 and improved to 7-1 in season openers under head coach Bill Broderick. The Captains have won the season opener in 13 of the last 14 seasons. 

The Captains defense held TCNJ under 50 points scored while also stifling the Lions to single digits in two of the four quarters of action. Christopher Newport led the game wire-to-wire and dominated the rebounding battle, 47-19. 

Right off the opening tip, the Captains defense went to work. Sophomore Sondra Fan nailed a three-pointer to start the game before the defense forced five straight turnovers before allowing a single shot by TCNJ. Four different players had steals in the run that saw the Captains open up on a 9-2 run. After the Lions got a three-point play by Sydney Blum with 5:15 remaining in the opening quarter to cut the lead to two, 9-7, the Captains closed on another 10-2 burst to take a 19-9 lead after the first ten minutes. 

Momentum appeared to shift in the second quarter as TCNJ weathered the high-paced offense and full-court pressure by the Captains to close back within three on a triple by Jen Byrne with 6:21 remaining. Fan responded immediately, however, with a big three-pointer that spurred the Captains offense back into gear and triggered a 19-2 roll to distance themselves in the neutral site battle. In the burst, rookie Jovia Winkey, senior Kiana Kirkland, and sophomore Julia Ng all drilled three-pointers. The Captains scored 25 points in the period and carried a 44-25 lead into the break. 

After halftime, the Captains maintained the frenetic pressure and continued to extend the lead. In the third quarter, Christopher Newport outscored the Lions, 21-8, with 20 of those points coming in the paint. Rookie Anaya Simmons led the way with eight points, five rebounds, and a pair of steals while shooting 4-of-6 from the floor in the quarter. Fan continued to get to the basket and knocked down three of her four attempts for six points. The defense forced 11 more turnovers in the frame and held the Lions to just four made field goals. 

Rounding out the dominant performance, the fourth quarter showcased the Captains depth as the Christopher Newport bench scored 20 points with seven different players getting into the scoring column. Freshman Lizzie Thibodeau led the way with five points as rookies Marissa Gallagher, Winkey, Simmons, joined her in scoring eight of the last 12 points in the game for Christopher Newport. 

The Captains shot nearly 47% (37-79) from the field in the game powered by a strong second half that saw them knock down 51.4% (19-37) of their shots. The team drilled 41.2% (7-17) from long range while holding TCNJ to just 15.4% (2-13) from beyond the arc. 

Three Christopher Newport players finished in double figures led by Fan with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting. The sophomore guard added four rebounds, four assists, and three steals while playing in just 15 minutes during her season debut. Rookie Anaya Simmons had a terrific collegiate debut, just missing a double-double with 14 points and 9 rebounds while adding four steals and shooting an efficient 6-for-8 from the field. Rounding out the double-figure scoring efforts was sophomore Julia Hobbs with 10 points and the second-year forward also just missed a double-double with eight rebounds. 

Simmons led the defensive side with four steals while Bailey Hodges and Fan each added a pair of thefts. Only one player logged more than 19 minutes of action as the Captains were able to stretch their bench and get all 16 players at least six minutes of play. 

Christopher Newport will advance to the Tip-Off Tournament Championship game on Saturday at 3:00 pm, taking on host Messiah College. The Falcons are ranked as high as No. 10 in the nation coming into the battle on their home floor. Live stats will be available at CNUsports.com.