ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team surged to a third straight victory on Sunday afternoon courtesy of a dominant rebounding performance and excellent three-point shooting. The Captains (3-0) took down Maryville College (1-1), 84-60, in the Jean Edge Classic finale, hosted by North Carolina Wesleyan University, after knocking down 14 triples as a team. 

In the first two games of the 2023-24 season the Captains managed to hit just five three-pointers combined but managed to right the ship on Sunday against the Scots. Sinking 48.3 percent of their shots from beyond the arc, the Captains went 14-of-29 from three and scored exactly half of the teams points from long range. Leading the aerial assault was sophomore Nicole Timko, who scored a team-high 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from distance; McKenna Snively and Hailey Kellogg each added three triples in the onslaught. 

Kellogg got things started with a three-pointer on the Captains' second possession off a feed from Alivia Giles. The kick-out pass came from the second offensive layup in as many possessions, offering a preview of more to come as Christopher Newport collected a whopping 17 offensive rebounds and scored 16 second-chance points in the game. 

The Captains finished at +18 on the boards, hauling in 44 rebounds versus just 26 snagged by Maryville as the team effort on the glass continued. Hannah Orloff led the way with eight caroms while the junior also added 12 points to finish as one of three CNU players in double figures. Ashley Steadman had seven rebounds and Elizabeth Creed finished with six. On the offensive glass, it was Camille Malagar leading the way with four O-boards to finish with five overall in the game. 

The first quarter belonged to CNU as the Captains got back-to-back Timko triples to extend the lead after ten minutes to a dozen, 23-11. Kellogg added another, again from a pass by Giles, on the first possession of the second quarter and a pair of Orloff free-throws gave CNU a 17-point edge, 28-11. Knocking down the first of her three treys, McKenna Snively made it 18 on a nice feed from Creed into the corner. Rookie Mia Wilson would then add one of two free throws to give CNU the largest lead of the first half, 34-15. 

Maryville trimmed the advantage to ten in the third quarter, with 7:10 remaining, and to 11 with 4:55 showing, but each time another bomb from Timko ended the would-be comeback bid. Two thre-pointers by the sophomore, playing in her first season due to an injury that sidelined her for the duration of her rookie campaign, pushed her team-high scoring total to a personal best 15 points. 

At the end of the third quarter, Steadman sank another three-pointer and the sophomore started the fourth with a bang, picking up two assists, a rebound, and a blocked shot all in the first 90 seconds of the final frame. The initial burst helped CNU rebuild a 17-point edge, 64-47, and forced a Scots timeout. After a small run cut the lead to 12 again, it was Snively's turn to end Maryville's hopes at a comeback. With just under six minutes remaining, the sophomore sharpshooter banged in a pair from deep, both off assists from classmate Faith Henderson. Then, after grabbing a steal two possessions later, the Chapel Hill native raced up the floor for a fast-break layup and a 20-point lead, 76-56. 

With just four and a half minutes left, the Captains held off Maryville and closed out a 24-point win. In the final minutes Elizabeth Creed and Faith Henderson each added three-pointers to close out the impressive shooting performance as a team. Rookie Julia Schutz also snagged two steals in the final 30 seconds to help the Captains dominant defense force 28 turnovers in the game with 13 thefts. 

As a team, the Captains shot 47.6 percent from the field (30-63) and all but one player ended up in the scoring column. Timko (15 pts), Snively (12 pts), and Orloff (12 pts) each finished in double figures while Kellogg and Giles were just shy with nine points each. 

Christopher Newport opened the year 3-0 away from home and will now head back to the friendly confines of the Freeman Center for three straight this week. First, the Captains will open the home schedule on Wednesday, November 15 at 5:30 p.m. against Bridgewater College. Then, CNU will host the Captains Round Robin Classic next weekend, welcoming in East Texas Baptist (Nov. 18 at 2:00 p.m.) and No. 18 Elizabethtown (Nov. 19 at 2:00 p.m.).