NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team wrapped up the team's ninth straight victory on Sunday afternoon as the Captains improved to 16-1 on the season with a dominant 103-48 victory at home against Warren Wilson College (1-14). Rookies Madison McKenzie (17 pts, 9 reb) and Sarah Pritz (15 pts, 8 reb) led a well-balanced effort against the Owls at the Freeman Center.

Three CNU players finished in double figures as graduate transfer Sydney Sherman added 14 points and eight rebounds to pair with McKenzie and Pritz' efforts. All three came off the bench as Christopher Newport scored 88 of the 103 points from non-starters on Sunday. 

A dominating first put Christopher Newport in position to coast in the matchup against the conference foe. CNU shot 63.2 percent in the first half to score 66 points and pull away with a 66-19 advantage at halftime. In the second quarter, the Captains outscored the Owls by a 36-9 margin and, including an 18-2 run to end the first quarter, CNU went into the locker room on a 54-11 run. 

In that burst, CNU scored 27 straight points between the end of the first quarter and the first four minutes of the second. By the end of the roll, Christopher Newport had secured a 40-point lead, 50-10, that inflated to as many as 50 before  buzzer-beating three by Moosie Lewis trimmed it to the 47-point halftime margin. 

The second quarter started with a flurry as Katerina Dakos found Pritz for two and then finished her own bucket moments later on a feed from Gabbi San Diego. The fifth-year senior point guard finished the game with an impressive seven assists with zero turnovers as she continues to climb the all-time charts at CNU. After a pair of steals by McKenzie, the rookie converted for two at the line and then added a fast-break layup to make it 38-10. Pritz delivered a dart over the defense to find Jessica Dornak for two and then McKenzie had five more points with another fast-break finish and a three-pointer with 6:34 remaining. 

That triple came off a feed from Charlotte Torgerson on just her second career offensive possession. The freshman made her collegiate debut on Sunday and promptly made a quick impact with back-to-back assists for the Captains. The latter came when Mia Wilson flushed home another three-pointer to conclude the aforementioned mammoth run up 50-10. 

After Warren Wilson got a free-throw to end the 27 straight points, Torgerson connected on her first career bucket with a three-pointer of her own two possessions later. Aliyah Elliott set up her classmate for the triple as CNU had five times as many points as the visitors at that point, 55-11. 

CNU led by as many as 56 in the game as the second half was played much more evenly with the Captains outscoring the Owls 37-29. The full court pressure relented and CNU continued to impress in a half-court game by looking inside and spreading the ball around. In the game, the Captains recorded 29 assists while being led by San Diego's seven. Three more Captains had four dimes each as Wilson, Torgerson, and Elliott had standout performances facilitating for CNU. 

On the defensive side, Elliott also had an impressive day with three blocked shots while Sherman and Dornak each added a pair. CNU snagged 20 steals with McKenzie's three serving as the team-high. The Captains had their way on the glass with a +32 margin at the final horn as Christopher Newport outrebounded Warren Wilson, 59-27. Dornak and McKenzie each hauled in a career-high nine rebounds to lead the way while Sherman and Pritz added eight apiece.

The Captains dropped in 13 three-pointers in the game with seven different players connecting from long range. The two leading scorers, McKenzie and Pritz, each had three while Wilson and Torgerson each had a pair. San Diego, McKenna Snively, and Elizabeth Creed each knocked down one three in the game to round out the hot-shooting performance. 

The victory is tied for the 11th largest margin of victory in Freeman Center history as CNU picked up the 51st straight regular season home win. Four players fell just shy of a double-double as Jessica Dornak joined the aforementioned trio with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Sherman's best game as a Captain came with a perfect 6-for-6 shooting performance as the forward finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. McKenzie tied Dornak for the team lead with nine rebounds and scored her 17 poitns on 5-of-7 shooting. Finally, Pritz had 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists. 

Christopher Newport will stay at home for the next three games. The Captains host Salisbury University this Saturday, January 18 at 2:00 p.m. for their next matchup.