HAVERFORD, Pa. – Earning an historical win for the program, the third-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team pulled away from Haverford College (3-3) for a 74-44 win on the road. The Captains (8-0) secured the 900
th victory in program history, becoming just the ninth NCAA Division III women's basketball program to reach the milestone.
CNU is the first Division III program to reach 900 all-time victories since Emmanuel (MA) wrapped up the 2022-23 with an even 900. The Captains are now 900-427 (.678) in the 51st year of the program, averaging nearly 18 wins per year in program history.
Additionally, the Captains added to the longest active road winning streak in the NCAA Basketball landscape, including men's and women's at all three levels. CNU has now won 34 straight game as the visiting team with the Saturday afternoon matchup at Calvin Gooding Arena.
The home team hung with the Captains for the first five minutes of the opening half but CNU ripped off an impressive 14-0 run to close out the first quarter and take a 19-6 lead. The Captains held the Fords to 0-for-7 from the field with seven turnovers in the final 6:35 of the first quarter to power the boost defensively. On the other end,
Alivia Giles had six of the 14 points while
McKenna Snively finished out the period on a buzzer-beating finish off a nice feed from
Gabbi San Diego.
San Diego found Snively in the corner on the first possession of the second quarter and the sophomore shooter buried a triple to finish out the run overall at 17-0 before Haverford connected on their first touch of the second quarter as well. The Captains slowed down the Fords in the second quarter with the full court pressure and added six more turnovers
In her first game of the season, junior
Hannah Kaloi made an impact late in the half when she connected on a tough and-one jumper from the baseline.
Hailey Kellogg found the Captains veteran forward for the tough basket and she converted from the line for the three-point play. Her bucket extended the lead back to 14 (33-19) with just under two minutes remaining in the half.
Alexia Lindsey then played the press perfectly as she read a Haverford pass and intercepted the ball for an open-court steal; she was fouled on the way up and then knocked down two free-throws to re-take a 16-point lead, 35-16.
CNU forced 13 turnovers in the first half while shooting 39.4 percent from the floor (13-33). The Captains took care of the ball with just five turnovers and snagged eight steals from the Fords.
Early in the second half, Giles made a statement with a hot start that included an impressive coast-to-coast layup after snagging a steal in the middle of the lane on the defensive end. After her make, Lindsey grabbed another steal in the press and raced to the basket for two. On the other end, Giles snared a defensive rebound and kick-started another quick run down the floor.
Ashley Steadman finished a layup to cap a blitzing 6-0 burst that took just 42 seconds.
It was a 10-2 start to the third quarter that gave the Captains a 24-point lead, 45-21, with 15 minutes of game clock left. The lead was 20 heading into the final quarter, 57-37, after the Captains shot 58.8 percent (10-17) from the field in the third.
Christopher Newport pulled away even more in the fourth quarter, winning the final frame 17-7. The final verdict was a 30-point road win for the Captains, 74-44. It marks the 120
th victory in 123 games in which the Captains have held opponents to 60 points or less since the start of the 2016-17 season.
Leading the way in the scoring column was
Alivia Giles with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor. Freshman
Mia Wilson poured in 11 points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting while adding a 4-for-4 run at the free-throw line. In her first game of the season,
Hannah Kaloi finished the game with six points and five rebounds while sophomore
Nicole Timko led all rebounders with eight boards.
The Captains will now break for final exams before returning to the court on Tuesday, December 12 at North Carolina Wesleyan at 3:00 p.m.
