BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team will be back in action this week as the Captains (10-1) will travel to Moravian University for the Steel Club Classic on December 29-30. CNU will play in the tournament opener against William Paterson (6-3) at Noon on Sunday before advancing to the second day to face either Saint Elizabeth's or the host Greyhounds. The consolation game will be played at 11:00 a.m. on Monday and the championship bout is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

The 21st annual Steel Club Classic will be played at Johnston Hall while the men's program is set to host the 44th version of the tournament immediately following the women. Moravian is 33-7 all-time in the event while William Paterson is appearing in the Steel Club Classic for the seventh time. CNU and Saint Elizabeth are heading to the tournament for the first time. 

All four games will be available to watch live online on a stream by FloCollege. There is a charge for viewing live, but the games will be available on demand after 72 hours. For free live coverage, live stats will be available as well and the links to both are on the women's basketball schedule at CNUsports.com. 

The Captains are riding a modest three-game winning stream with victories over N.C. Wesleyan (92-59), Wilmington (OH) (57-44), and Shenandoah (71-55). CNU captured the Captains Clash Tournament Championship while being led by All-Tournament Team selections Hailey Kellogg and Hannah Orloff, who was named the MVP. Orloff went on to earn Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors and now ranks third on the team with 7.0 points per game while leading the team in rebounding with 6.3 boards per game. 

Leading the team in scoring is fifth-year senior Camille Malagar, pouring in 10.6 points per game. She is the lone Captain to start all 11 games this season and is tied for the team lead in three-pointers with 11 made this year. Senior Alexia Lindsey has started all 10 games she has played this season and ranks second on the team in steals with 22 thefts. Her well-rounded game this season includes scoring 4.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while playing around 16 minutes per game. 

CNU will take on a William Paterson squad that the Captains have faced only thrice prior to Sunday's matchup. CNU is 1-2 all-time against the Pioneers with all three games coming prior to 2007. This season, WPU won four in a row before the holiday break with a 65-55 win at Rowan closing out their first semester of games. 

The Pioneers have two starters averaging over 13 points per game with Brianna Smith and Renee Wells leading the way. Both have connected on 14 three-pointers in the first nine games while shooting around 31 percent from beyond the arc. Patty Walsh is the team's leading rebounder with 7.1 per game and she has added 14 blocked shots as well. 

It will be the first matchup for Christopher Newport against either Saint Elizabeth or Moravian when they advance to Monday's action.