NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Piecing together a performance for the history books, Katy Rader scored a career-high 23 points, including seven buckets from long range, as the senior standout carried the top-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team to an 86-38 victory over Salisbury on Saturday afternoon at the Freeman Center.

Against the Sea Gulls, Rader became just the ninth Captain to hit seven three-pointers in a single game. On fire from the opening tip, she hit her first seven shots from beyond the arc. With that performance, she became the first player in program history to open a game 7-for-7 from three-point range. In fact, she joined Christopher Newport Hall of Famer Chelsie Schweers as the only Captains to hit seven straight threes at any point during a game. Schweers accomplished the feat with seven consecutive threes against William Peace on February 9, 2008.

Buoyed by Rader's work, Christopher Newport eventually finished Saturday's battle with 15 three-pointers. That equaled the second-highest total in program history, falling just one shy of the record set against Methodist on November 26, 2019.

Along with Rader, Sondra Fan added 13 points and drained three shots from deep. With that effort, she moved past Jessica Moore for 11th on the school's all-time scoring list. The fifth-year phenom now has 1,294 points in her decorated career.

Hannah Kaloi also chipped in with 12 points against the Sea Gulls, while Camille Malagar dished out nine assists. That established a new career-high and equaled the most by a Captain since Chelsie Schweers had 10 helpers against Mary Baldwin on January 28, 2009.

Equally effective on the defensive side, Christopher Newport recorded 18 steals, including four by Alivia Giles. Incredibly, the Captains limited Salisbury to just a single basket in the third quarter while baiting the Sea Gulls into 28 total turnovers during the 40-minute showcase.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 16-0 on the season and bumped the program's home winning streak to 35 straight games. Meanwhile, the setback dropped Salisbury to 6-13.

From the outset, the Captains took control of the contest. The hosts sank three shots from long range in the first three minutes, including a pair by Rader. Later, she added her third dagger from the right corner to push the squad's lead to 14-6 with three minutes left in the opening period.

Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Alexia Lindsey had a huge block along the baseline during a lengthy drought by the visitors in the middle of the quarter. Later, Rader ripped the ball from a Sea Gull along the sideline during another defensive stand that lifted the Captains to an 18-12 lead at the end of the opening frame.

In the second period, Hailey Kellogg helped Christopher Newport stretch its lead to double-digits with stellar work on the defensive side. Less than 30 seconds into the quarter, she jumped a pass into the paint and poked the ball up the court to Fan, who quickly found Rader for her fourth three-pointer. Moments later, Kellogg came back with her second swipe before dishing to Lauren Fortescue, who connected from deep.

Holding a 31-16 lead, the Captains never let the Sea Gulls back into the game. In the middle of the stanza, Giles had four straight points, including a pair from the charity stripe. Later, Anaya Simmons pounded away downlow with two straight layups, while Rader and Kaloi added baskets from long range to snatch a 50-25 edge entering halftime.

Continuing her historic work, Rader rained two more threes early in the third quarter. The Pennsylvania product splashed her sixth triple from the left corner before adding her final rainbow from the right wing.

Just as dominant on the other end of the court, Giles put on a show of her own. In the middle of the quarter, she landed her spot on the highlight reel with an acrobatic steal. Toeing the sideline, she elevated and grabbed possession of a pass in midair. Incredibly, she fired the ball back into play before crashing down on the press table.

Moments later, Giles came back and wrestled a rebound away from a Sea Gull before adding a block and steal in the span of four seconds towards the end of the period. The junior also connected on a jumper just before the horn sounded to secure a 67-27 lead at the end of the third quarter.

With more than enough breathing room, Christopher Newport cruised to the victory over the final 10 minutes. Kaloi notched a pair of early buckets, while Malagar collected her first on a breakaway. Later, the junior point guard registered her ninth assist of the contest after breaking down the defense with a fantastic crossover before threading a pass between two Sea Gulls to Simmons, who finished the play with a layup.

Keeping a 40-point cushion, McKenna Snively and Ashley Steadman both hit three-pointers, while Kellogg and Makenna Zimmerman added the final punctuation mark with three straight points from the free throw line to lock up the 86-38 victory.

Overall, the Captains connected on 30 of their 67 shots from the field, including a 15-for-28 effort from deep. Meanwhile, Simmons led the hosts with 10 rebounds, while Rader contributed three steals to round out her tremendous day on the court.

Christopher Newport will return to action on January 18 when the team heads to Southern Virginia for a non-conference tilt beginning at 6 p.m.

---ISH---