NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Freshman Jovia Winkey led a strong and balanced performance against St. Mary's College of Maryland (3-19, 0-8) on Wednesday night to pick up the eleventh straight win for Christopher Newport women's basketball. Winkey dished a career-high nine assists in the win that improved the Captains to 19-4 overall and 8-0 in conference play. 

The nine dimes by Winkey are the most by a freshman in Freeman Center history and tied with three others for the most in a game since CNU Athletics Hall of Famer Chelsie Schweers distributed 10 helpers on January 28, 2009. Over the course of 340 games since Schweers hit double-digits, only Zhara Tannor (vs. Southern Virginia on Feb. 7, 2018), Schweers (at Ferrum on Feb. 13, 2011), and Lauren Gural (at Meredith on Dec. 12, 2009) picked up nine assists in a game. Winkey is also the first freshman with nine assists in a game in almost exactly 25 seasons since Leema Madden had 10 in 1995-96. 

The rookie from Orange County, Va. paired her nine bucket-inducing passes with just two turnovers in 21 minutes of action. She added three points, one rebound, and a steal to round out a strong effort against the Seahawks. She also tormented the opposing guards and helped the Captains defense force 37 turnovers in the game. Christopher Newport scored 40 points off of St. Mary's turnovers including 16 fast-break points. 

The Captains were able to get 13 different players 10 or more minutes in the game after racing out to a big lead on Wednesday night. A 28-6 lead to open the game saw the Christopher Newport defense hold St. Mary's without a made field goal for nearly 15 minutes of game action in the first half. A layup by Kyaira Priest with 5:37 left in the second quarter ended the drought, which saw the Seahawks open the game just 0-for-17 from the field. The layup by Priest was the only converted field goal in the first half as the visitors struggled to a 1-for-24 effort, good for just 4.2% shooting. 

On the other end, Winkey was carving through the Seahawks defense and had five assists by halftime. Sophomore Sondra Fan had 11 points at the break while Jasmine Norman added seven before intermission. Fan led a 9-for-17 shooting performance in the second quarter that allowed the Captains to build a sizable 45-12 lead at halftime. Christopher Newport outscored St. Mary's, 31-9, in the second quarter. 

All but two of the 17 Christopher Newport players dressed for the game got into the scoring column and 12 of the 17 grabbed at least one steal. The balanced offense and defense saw Fan lead the day with 13 points and rookie Anaya Simmons close behind with a 10-point performance. Rookie Sawyer Freeland notched a new career-high with eight points including a perfect 4-for-4 effort from the free-throw line. As a team, the Captains missed just one attempt from the charity stripe to hit 94.4% at the line (17-18). 

Christopher Newport shot 41.6% from the field (32-77) and knocked down eight three-pointers. The Captains outrebounded the Seahawks by one, 45-44, and grabbed 22 offensive boards. The win was the 20th straight victory over St. Mary's (Md.) in the all-time series.

The game served as Christopher Newport's participation in the 2020 Play4Kay Breast Cancer Awareness annual charity event. The Captains wore pink uniforms and socks and in conjunction with Zeta Tau Alpha, helped raise money for breast cancer research by raffling off a pink basketball during the game. 

The Captains will host Senior Day on Saturday, February 15 for their next game against Salisbury University. Tip is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. against the Sea Gulls following a special pre-game ceremony honoring Kiana Kirkland and team manager Rachel Gray for their time as a part of the Captains women's basketball program. 

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