EWING, N.J. -- Powered by the patented suffocating defense from the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team, the Captains held The College of New Jersey (0-4) to just three fourth-quarter points to pull away for a dominant 85-59 victory on the road. Rookie Sydney Worsham stuffed the stat sheet and led the 15th-ranked Captains with a game-high 17 points. 

Taking on a talented TCNJ squad that nearly clipped nationally-ranked Trinity (CT) last week, the Captains clamped down in the final ten minutes. CNU forced 11 fourth-quarter turnovers and allowed just one made field goal while cruising to the win. 

Worsham finished with 17 points while adding 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and one blocked shot. She finished 7-of-12 from the floor including a 2-for-3 effort from beyond the arc. Adding double-figure scoring performances were sophomore Madison McKenzie, with 15 points (7-14), and sophomore Sarah Pritz, with 11 points (5-10). 

In the decisive fourth quarter, the Captains scored the first nine points to re-take a double-digit lead before TCNJ connected on their lone field goal of the final ten minutes with 5:54 showing on the clock. Worsham either scored or assisted on the next three buckets and the Captains rolled to the win. 

In the final three and a half minutes of the half, the Captains went on an 11-2 run to create some distance from the Lions heading into the locker room. Rookie Sydney Worsham kicked off the spurt with back-to-back layups and then CNU scored seven straight unanswered points in the final minute to close the period.
 
First, Sarah Pritz knocked in a layup off a feed by Caitlin Crump and then the Captains turned TCNJ over to get the ball back with 35 seconds remaining. The ball got into the hands of McKenzie and the sophomore finished through contact for an opportunity at a three-point play. After converting on the free throw, McKenzie took a charge on the press to give CNU one more look at the basket. Capping the flourish, Elizabeth Creed beat the buzzer by grabbing one of her team-high eight rebounds and finished a stick-back layup to give the Captains a 44-33 advantage.
 
Early in the game, it was the home team that utilized a big run to create space from the Captains. After scoring the first three points on a triple by Crump, the Lions went on a 17-2 spurt to take early command with 4:48 remaining in the first quarter. From there, though, CNU took control and answered with a 19-5 run of their own to draw even at the quarter break, 21-all.
 
Pritz started the roll with a three-point play and added another driving layup moments after Lily Soller converted her first on an assist by Worsham. Soller went 2-for-2 from the line and then Pritz grabbed a steal to set up McKenzie on the run as the momentum shifted fully in favor of the Captains. After a rebound, Worsham drove up the court and knocked down a pull-up three-pointer with 1:51 left in the first quarter to pull within three. The run finished out on a McKenzie lay-in and a close finish by Jessica Dornak on the final offensive possession of the first ten minutes.
 
The CNU defense held the Lions to just one point in the final 4:19 of the first quarter and just five in the final 4:48 of the second quarter. For the half, Christopher Newport forced 13 turnovers while knocking down nearly 52 percent of shots inside the perimeter.
 
In the third quarter, the Captains enjoyed the best shooting quarter of the season by knocking down 9-of-13 attempts for 69.2 percent efficiency. CNU continued to excel close to the basket, knocking down 75 percent from inside the arc. The lead ballooned to as many as 15 points, 50-35 and again at 54-39, before the home team started to cut into the advantage. The Lions hit three three-pointers to pull back within four, 58-54, before the Captains ended the period with seven of the last nine points to lead by nine, 65-56.
 
After weathering the third quarter roll by TCNJ, the Captains opened the fourth quarter by re-opening a double-digit lead by scoring the first nine points of the final ten minutes. A three-point play by Mia Wilson made it 74-56 before TCNJ scratched across its first points of the final period. After that bucket, the burst continued with CNU scoring 11 of the final 12 points. Including the spurt at the end of the third quart, Christopher Newport closed out the game on a 27-5 run to capture the win. 

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday, November 22 with a road trip to Arcadia University. The Captains will tip off at 1:00 p.m.