VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- For the fifth time this season the Christopher Newport women's basketball team scored 95 or more points in another impressively balanced offensive performance as the Captains improved to 8-3 with a 98-56 win at Virginia Wesleyan University (2-9). The victory was the fourth straight for Christopher Newport heading into the holiday break as they improved to 8-3 overall. 

The high-paced Captains offense neared the century mark despite a three-way lead in scoring at just 11 points from Anaya Simmons, Kiana Kirkland, and Natalie Terwilliger. Sixteen different Captains got into the scoring column with the balanced effort including a 10-point showing by Sondra Fan to round out a group of four players in double figures. 

Christopher Newport scored 20+ points in all four quarters and shot 43.4% (33-76) from the field. The Captains scored 46 points in the paint and 44 points off of turnovers while the bench scoring managed to pour in more than the entirety of the Virginia Wesleyan roster with 58 points from the reserves. 

The matchup featured a slow start from the Captains offense, which had been off for over a week with final exams scheduled at Christopher Newport University. The host Marlins took a 4-0 lead after three and a half minutes before the Captains finally got on the board with a layup by Julia Hobbs on a nice feed from Jasmine Norman. The bucket sparked the Captains into form as they went on a 13-0 run to take control in the first quarter. Norman had a quick burst with a layup, steal, and short jumper to give Christopher Newport the lead, 6-4, and Hobbs added another layup in the spurt as well. On the defensive end, Hobbs blocked three shots and led the effort rebounding with five boards in the first half. 

After taking a 10-point lead in the first quarter, the Captains turned to sophomore Natalie Terwilliger to start the second quarter on another big roll. Terwilliger scored eight points in the first three minutes of the second stanza to lead an 18-2 run. The Captains led 40-14 after 15 minutes of action when Jovia Winkey hit a pair of free-throws to punctuate the streak. Sondra Fan's layup at the end of the half made sure Christopher Newport still held a 23-point advantage headed into the locker room, 45-22. 

With a comfortable lead, the Captains continued to pile on in the second half by outscoring the home team 29-18 in the third quarter and 24-16 in the fourth. The lead would grow to as many as 44 before the final score finished out at 98-56. Production came from everyone in the lineup including the 11 points off the bench from Anaya Simmons, who added three steals and four rebounds. Sophomore Marlise Brunson made the most of her time on the floor with six points and four steals while rookie Katy Rader added four points, three rebounds, and three steals as well. 

Defensively, Christopher Newport grabbed 21 steals, including eight from Brunson, Rader, and Winkey in the fourth quarter. The tough defense forced 31 turnovers and held Virginia Wesleyan to 35.1% (20-57) from the field. The Captains hauled in 50 rebounds without a single player grabbing more than five in the contest and continued to excel on the offensive glass with 24 boards. Christopher Newport ranks seventh nationally in O-boards per game with 22.2. 

Jessica Jennings led all scoring for Virginia Wesleyan with 19 points. No other Marlin scored in double figures. 

The Captains will now break for the holidays before reconvening on December 28 at the Stevens Institute of Technology Classic. Christopher Newport will take on top-ranked Tufts University (8-0) at 7:00 pm in the first round of the tournament in Hoboken, N.J. before facing the host Ducks on December 29 at 1:00 pm.