ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- This weekend, the 5th-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team will play a pair on a neutral floor as part of the 2024 Jean Edge Classic hosted by North Carolina Wesleyan. The Captains (3-0) will first face off against Johnson & Wales University (2-2) on Saturday, November 16 at 4:00 p.m. before taking on 6th-ranked Johns Hopkins University (1-0) at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 17. 

Live stats will be available free of charge for both games and the link can be found on the women's basketball schedule page at CNUsports.com. For fans who would like to tune in to watch the games from afar, the N.C. Wesleyan Department of Athletics will provide a live stream for a fee. To watch, click here: https://go.flosports.tv/partner/north-carolina-wesleyan-university and for more information about the streaming agreement, click here: https://ncwsports.com/sports/2024/8/26/flosports.aspx

This weekend kicks off a stretch of six straight road games for the Captains as CNU is away from the Freeman Center until December 9. After two on the neutral floor at Everett Gymnasium this weekend, the Captains will make trips to Widener (Nov 23), Greensboro (Nov 26), Liberty (Nov 30), and Southern Virginia (Dec 4). 

Facing off against Johnson & Wales for the first time in program history, CNU will tip at 4:00 p.m. Then, the Sunday bout against Johns Hopkins will be the fourth all-time meeting with the Blue Jays boasting a 2-1 edge in the series. Last season, CNU and JHU met in the second round of the NCAA Tournament where the Blue Jays earned a slim 77-75 victory to advance to the Round of 16. 

So far this year, CNU has opened the year with a 3-0 record while ranking 15th in Division III scoring margin (+34.3) in the early going. The Captains continue to spread the ball around, ranking second nationally in bench scoring wih over 57 points per game coming from the reserves. CNU also is back to its usual defensive prowess, quickly jumping to fourth nationally in turnovers forced per game and eighth in steals per game. 

While the team continues to succeed as a cohesive unit, the balance has been impressive through three games. Ten Captains are averaging between 5.0 and 9.7 points per game and no CNU player has averaged more than 19.0 minutes per game so far this season. Sophomore Elizabeth Creed tops the list with 9.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 54.2 percent from the field, but Mia Wilson (8.3 ppg) and Camille Malagar (8.0 ppg) have also gotten off to hot starts. 

Johnson & Wales has already logged four games into the season ledger with a 2-2 start including wins over Bob Jones and Pfeiffer. The Wildcats have been led by three players averaging double figures including the team's leading scorer Maliah Preston (14.8 ppg). Fellow starters Jordan Durant (12.5 ppg) and Laken Powe (11.0 ppg) are the other two and the trio at the top are also the team's leading defenders with 32 steals between the three. 

Johns Hopkins will face Averett University on Saturday in their second game before facing off against CNU. The Blue Jays opened with a 72-55 win over New Jersey City and were led in that game by a double-double from Macie Feldman with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Greta Miller and Michaela O'Neil, who each played against CNU in the NCAA Tournament last season, also added 13 points apiece. 

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday, November 23 when the Captains travel to Chester, Pa. for a matchup against Widener University.