TACOMA, Wash. -- Underscored by a third quarter that saw Christopher Newport hold Willamette to just two points, the fifth-ranked Captains (1-0) picked up right where they left off last season defensively, holding the Bearcats under 50 points in the opener. CNU was powered by a dominant defensive performance as they earned an 83-48 win on Sunday evening in the neutral site matchup as part of the Doug McArthur Classic hosted by the University of Puget Sound. 

In the season opening victory, the suffocating Captains' defense held the 2024 NCAA Tournament team to just 48 points on 30.2 percent (13-43) shooting. CNU recorded 17 steals in the game and forced a hefty 35 turnovers by Willamette, leading to 30 Captains' points. 

The full court pressure bothered the Bearcats throughout the matchup, but a spurt late in the first quarter defined the rest of the game. With senior Hannah Orloff back in the fold after missing nearly all of 2023-24 with an injury, the Captains caught fire in the middle portion of the first quarter. Trailing by one, 11-10, with 4:23 on the clock, Orloff triggered a stellar defensive burst that led to an 11-0 run that took just over 90 seconds. 

First, Katerina Dakos took the lead for the Captains with a jumper and the full court press led to an interception by Caitlin Crump. The sophomore ran out the steal for another quick two and CNU led, 14-11. On the other end, Orloff imposed her will on a layup by Daisy Boling-Schmidt, rejecting it out of bounds. Then, as the Bearcats tried to inbound the ball, Orloff leaped up and snagged a steal for the third big play defensively in the stretch. She also added a defensive rebound in the spurt as CNU built a double-digit lead behind a layup by Elizabeth Creed and a three-pointer in transition from Gabbi San Diego. Hannah Kaloi capped the run with a pair of free-throws and CNU led, 21-11, with 1:47 left. 

The lead grew to a dozen on a traditional three-point play from Alexia Lindsey to close out the first quarter, and got all the way up to 21 in the first half when Jessica Dornak dropped in a layup off a feed from Mia Wilson with less than a minute and a half left. The second stanza also included the first career buckets on back-to-back plays for Ella Negron, who finished off a feed from Hailey Kellogg before adding a jumper in the lane moments later after a steal by Kellogg. 

After halftime, the defense tightened even more around Willamette. Having allowed just 27 first-half points, the Bearcats added only two points in the third quarter as the Captains held their foe to just 1-of-8 shooting from the floor including an 0-for-3 effort from beyond the arc. CNU dominated the glass, hauling in five offensive rebounds and out-rebounding the Bearcats, 11-5, in the quarter while forcing nine turnovers. Extending the lead in the third period, CNU carried a 33-point lead, 62-29, into the final ten minutes of action. 

The rotation extended to every available player in the game as all 17 players in uniform saw the floor in game one. Additionally, the depth was on display all night with only one Captains playing over 16 minutes in the game. Sophomore Elizabeth Creed finished the game with a team-high 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting with six rebounds in 14 minutes of play. Fifth-year senior Camille Malagar added 10 points in just 13 minutes of action to lead a group of 15 players in the scoring column. 

Caitlin Crump finished with nine points on 4-of-4 shooting and Mia Wilson scored eight with a pair of three-pointers and a pair of free-throws. Rookie Sarah Pritz led the first-year class with six points while Emma O'Connor (4 pts), Katerina Dakos (4 pts), Madison McKenzie (3 pts), and Ella Negron (4 pts) rounded out the contributions from the freshman class. Aliyah Elliott also saw action picking up one assist and one steal. 

As a team, the Captains shot 50 percent (33-66) while taking 23 more shots than their opponent. 

Christopher Newport will complete their road trip to the Pacific Northwest on Monday when they play the host Loggers of Puget Sound (0-1). In the 24-25 opener for the home team, Ripon College earned an 80-52 win on Saturday afternoon. Live stats and a live video webcast will be available for the action from Memorial Fieldhouse at 5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET.