NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Grinding out her first career double-double with tough work on both ends of the floor, Alivia Giles helped carry the third-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team to its 42nd consecutive home victory as the squad posted a hard-fought 52-45 triumph over East Texas Baptist during the Captains Round Robin Classic on Saturday afternoon at the Freeman Center.

Against the Tigers, Giles grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. She also deposited 14 points and snatched a pair of steals in the fourth quarter to silence a late surge by the visitors.

Along with Giles, Hannah Orloff contributed eight boards, three blocks, and two steals during the defensive battle. Overall, the Captains baited the Tigers into 21 turnovers and held the opposition to 27 percent shooting from the field.

Offensively, Nicole Timko chipped in with eight points, while Gabbi San Diego had seven, including five in the last 40 seconds of regulation to put the game on ice.

The victory was Christopher Newport's 42nd straight at the Freeman Center dating back to December 16, 2018. That run stands as the longest in program history and matches the 15th-longest in the history of Division III basketball. Additionally, it is the second-longest active streak in the NCAA, trailing only South Carolina's 44-game roll at the Division I level.

Overall, the Captains now stand at 5-0 on the season, while the setback drops East Texas Baptist to 1-3.

Setting the tone right from the start, Orloff swatted a pair of shots in the first two minutes before dropping a dime to McKenna Snively, who drained a three. Later, the sophomore star landed another long-range dagger to knot the score at 6, while Orloff and Elizabeth Creed had a pair of strips on the defensive end to keep the Tigers in check.

Although ETBU slipped out to an 11-7 lead at the end of the first period, CNU battled back in the second stanza. Once again, Orloff led the early surge after collecting her second steal with a tie-up in the paint before dropping in a floater on the offensive end. Moments later, Giles joined the fun as she elevated for an offensive rebound in the center of a crowd and landed a putback to knot the score at 11.

After another layup by Giles handed the Captains their first lead since the middle of the first quarter, Timpko found her rhythm. Just before the media timeout, she sank a corner three to give the hosts a five-point cushion. Then, after the break, she came back with a physical play downlow, corralling a contested board on the offensive glass before capitalizing on a spinning layup in the paint.

With time winding down in the first half, Giles added a fitting punctuation mark to the second quarter. During a 20-second spurt, she gobbled up three rebounds, including a gorgeous grab on the defensive end with a Tiger draped on her back. Then, she capitalized on a quick jumper to secure a 20-15 lead entering halftime.

Following the break, the visitors chopped their deficit down to one before Hailey Kellogg landed a shot from deep. Later, Gabbi San Diego added a spark on both ends of the court. First, she curled around three defenders before finding some space along the baseline for a jumper in the middle of the stanza. Moments later, she jumped a passing lane, picked off a feed, and connected with Ashley Steadman, who landed a triple from the top of the arc.

Extending the lead, Giles and Faith Henderson both contributed points in the paint, while Camille Malagar drilled one from long range to help grab a 35-24 lead at the end of the third quarter.

In the final frame, Giles blanketed the court. Flashing her physicality, she pushed back against an ETBU run in the right corner to disrupt an early rush before collecting a tough rebound during the same series. Although the Tigers eventually whittled their deficit back down to three, Giles continued to shine. During a fastbreak opportunity by the opposition, she tracked down the play from behind and tipped the ball into the hands of Steadman, who ended the threat.

Taking advantage on the other end, Timko was fouled while shooting a three and calmly drilled all of her free throws to gain a 40-33 edge with four minutes remaining in regulation.

Although East Texas Baptist refused to go down quietly, Christopher Newport continued to keep a tight lid on the Tigers. Steadman deflected a pass on the interior with five seconds left on the shot clock. On the ensuing in-bounds, she played tight defense in the post to prevent a clean look before Giles collected the rebound.

Moments later, Giles came through with a leaping steal and a fastbreak layup through contact. After converting the old-fashioned three-point play, CNU grabbed a double-digit edge with less than three minutes remaining in regulation.

Still taking advantage of the defensive pressure in the final minute, Kellogg added a momentum-turning steal before scooting through the Tigers to kill off some crucial time. Later, Alexia Lindsey deflected a pass in the corner to slow down a late rush by the visitors, while San Diego knocked down five straight free throws in the final moments to ice the 52-45 victory.

Headlining the defensive effort, Orloff, Giles, Snively, and Steadman all contributed two steals apiece during the game. Steadman also added five boards, while Orloff and Snively had six points each.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Sunday when the Captains wrap up the Round Robin Classic against No. 18 Elizabethtown at 2 p.m.

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