WINCHESTER, Va. -- After Hailey Kellogg and Elizabeth Creed went back-to-back from long range on the first two possessions to take a 6-4 lead, the 19th-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team would not give up the lead again, holding off previously undefeated Shenandoah University (5-1), 64-49. Playing in front of over 400 fans at the Wilkins Athletic Center in Winchester, Va., the Captains improved to 6-2 with the team's fourth consecutive win. 

Leading the way was Creed with her first career double-double as she matched her career-high with 11 rebounds while scoring 13 points for the Captains. Sophomore Sarah Pritz led all CNU scorers with 15 points and Kellogg matched Creed with 13 points in the win. Kellogg connected on a career-high four three-pointers to lead CNU from beyond the arc including the game-opening triple that kickstarted the Captains offense. 

The three by Kellogg started a 15-2 run in the opening quarter that saw Christopher Newport turn to Creed on four of five straight possessions. She started with back-to-back three-pointers and capped a personal 8-0 run over a span of just 1:26 of game clock with a stick-back layup. After Jessica Dornak connected on a second-chance bucket the next time down the floor, the Captains junior front court paired up for another layup by Creed when Dornak slipped a pass through the lane for a 15-4 lead. 

Shenandoah slowed the run temporarily, but the Captains got four made free-throws from Sarah Pritz to extend back to a double-digit lead at the end of the quarter. The Hornets pulled to within four, 21-17, with an early rush through the second stanza, but Creed found Kellogg for her second trey of the day to respond. Then, after a Shenandoah turnover, it was another three-pointer, this time by Mia Wilson, that pushed the lead back to 10 after an assist by Caitlin Crump, 27-17. 

Wilson added a traditional three-point play moments later while Dornak and Pritz combined for six more points headed into halftime with a 15-point advantage, 36-21. 

In the third, the Captains held onto a double-digit lead with Sydney Worsham scoring all five of her points in the quarter while Pritz added three more. The home team chipped away, though, and rallied the home crowd in the final ten minutes. After a layup in the final period by Pritz made it 48-36, the Hornets went on a 9-0 run to get back within one possession with 6:10 remaining. Once again, the Captains responded. 

Out of the final media timeout, the Captains ran a play for Madison McKenzie and the team's leading scorer through the first eight games converted a layup. Crump and McKenzie then added a pair of pivotal steals for CNU on the defensive end. The Captains answered the Hornets burst with an 8-0 run of their own to once again take a double-digit lead when McKenzie finished a run out on the break and Creed capped her stellar outing with her final field goal of the game. After a pair of free throws by the home team, McKenzie found Kellogg open for three and the senior drilled the back-breaking triple to lead by a dozen, 59-47, with less than 90 seconds to play. 

The Captains defense clamped down in the final six minutes of the game, allowing just one made field goal while clinching the victory in the final minute with a jumper by Crump, steal by Kellogg, and a punctuation mark of a triple by Kellogg with 16 seconds remaining for the final verdict, 64-49. 

CNU forced 18 turnovers by the Hornets and scored 19 points off of the Shenandoah giveaways. Pritz and Worsham led the team with three steals apiece while Crump and Wilson each had a pair. 

Creed's first career double-double came with 13 points, 11 rebounds and the veteran forward was 5-for-8 from the field including a 2-for-2 effort from three-point land. She added a pair of assists, two blocked shots, and one steal.

The Captains wrap up an eight-game road swing to start the year with a 6-2 overall record. CNU will host Marymount University (2-3) on Tuesday, December 2 in the home opener at the Freeman Center. Tip against the Saints is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.