NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Showcasing the depth of the roster from start to finish in the home opener on Wednesday night, the fifth-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team rolled to a 97-53 win over Averett University (0-2). All 16 active players made an impact for the Captains (3-0) and 14 recorded double-digit minutes in the runaway victory over the Cougars. 

With the win, Christopher Newport improves to 17-0 all-time against Averett in the Freeman Center and also upped the overall record against their former conference foes to 66-9. CNU has now won seven straight against the Cougars and 14 of the last 15. 

Veteran point guard Gabbi San Diego recorded her 300th career assist in the victory with her second dime of thenight. The first came on a pass in the lane for Hannah Orloff and the second was on an inbounds play for Orloff just two possessions later. She becomes the first player since Zhara Tannor (2015-19) to reach the 300 assists in her career. 

The home opener was a wire-to-wire win for the Captains after CNU opened up a 27-point lead at halftime, 53-26. In the second half, Christopher Newport built the lead to as many as 47 when it was 92-45 with 5:12 left in the fourth quarter. Four CNU players finished in double figures with rookies Emma O'Connor and Sarah Pritz leading the team with 11 points each. Another freshman, Madison McKenzie, added 10 points as did senior forward Hannah Orloff. 

Balance was the name of the game against the Cougars as CNU had nine players score six points or more. Two of the scoring leaders had impressive lines in limited minutes as sophomore Elizabeth Creed scored eight points in a team-low seven minutes of action while senior Alexia Lindsey added nine points in nine minutes played. The two combined to shoot 7-for-9 from the floor before giving way to their teammates for the bulk of the game. Orloff also nearly snagged a double-double despite only playing 12 minutes when she added eight rebounds to her 10 points with a pair of blocked shots and one steal as well. 

The Captains defense was in top form, snagging 31 steals and forcing a whopping 46 turnovers by Averett. All but three Captains grabbed at least one steal including a team-high five thefts from sophomore Mia Wilson. McKenzie and Pritz each added four apiece. 

O'Connor fell one rebound shy of her first career double-double when she finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. The rookie was 4-for-6 from the floor and added three blocked shots for CNU in just 14 minutes played. 

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday, November 16 at the Jean Edge Classic when they ake on Johnson & Wales.