NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport women's basketball team, ranked No. 17 in the WBCA Coaches' Poll, will welcome in three teams for the inaugural Nelson Hinson Invitational this weekend with two games played on Friday and Saturday at the Freeman Center. The Captains (9-2) will take on York College of Pennsylvania (2-6) at 7:00 p.m. on Friday after Catholic, receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Top 25, faced Maryville College at 5:00 p.m. 

Following the first day of action, the teams will return to the Freeman Center for matchups at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 20. The consolation game will be played first with the two winning teams from Friday will face off in the championship game on Saturday. 

Live stats and a live video webcast will be available for all four games with links on the CNUsports.com women's basketball schedule.

The tournament is named in honor of the late Nelson Hinson, a staunch supporter of Christopher Newport women's basketball throughout his life. Hinson spent his life building the Denbigh Construction Company, presenting sponsor of the 2025 tournament alongside Beck Concrete, and spent his later years rooting on the Captains. He developed special relationships with the coaches, staff, and players especially in last decade with head coach Bill Broderick at the helm. 

The games will be just the second and third home games of the season for CNU who has opened up with a challenging road slate but has managed to come away with a 9-2 overall record through the first eleven games. The matchup against York is the 23rd all-time meeting between the two programs with CNU owning a 15-7 advantage in the series. Should CNU face Maryville on the second day, they will face a team in which the Captains trail the series, 4-5; if CNU takes on Catholic, it will be just the sixth all-time meeting with a 2-3 record against the Cardinals. 

CNU is coming off a 61-56 win at Virginia Wesleyan on Tuesday night, ending a nearly two-week hiatus for final exams. The Captains have now won seven games in a row as the end of the calendar year approaches.  Senior McKenna Snively made her season debut against the Marlins after first playing in the exhibition game at Navy. Snively knocked down three triples and quickly gave a spark to the Captains offense with nine points in her season debut. Sophomore Madison McKenzie led CNU against Virginia Wesleyan with 11 points and currently holds the distinction as the team's leading scorer with 12.8 points per game. 

Balance has been key for Christopher Newport this season with Sydney Worsham adding 10.2 points per game while Sarah Pritz (8.2 ppg), Mia Wilson (7.9 ppg), Elizabeth Creed (7.7 ppg), and Caitlin Crump (7.2 ppg) are all adding over seven points per game this season. Contributions continued to come in from up and down the lineup including nearly three assists per game for senior point guard Hailey Kellogg and over a block per contest from junior center Jessica Dornak. Defensively, CNU is averaging nearly 28 turnovers forced per game while grabbing 15.5 steals per contest. 

YCP will enter the Friday night tilt having dropped four in a row since November 18. That run includes a common opponent with Christopher Newport as the Spartans fell to nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins, 59-35, on Saturday, November 22. Most recently, the Spartans dropped a decision at Dickinson, 74-54, on December 9 but have not played in the nine days since. Under the direction of former All-Conference star Katie (McGowan) Kilpatrick, York is led by a similarly balanced offense. Breana Grim is averaging a team-high 9.0 points per game while Shealyn Ricks (8.7 ppg), Makenna Zimmerman (6.5 ppg), and Grace Masser (6.3 ppg) are each averaging over six points per game. Zimmerman played her first year with Christopher Newport in 2022-23 before transferring to York and starting in 51 of her 59 career games played. 

Catholic is 6-3 to start the year after suffering a split in this weekend's Jamie Lynn Roberts Fairfield Inn DC Holiday Classic. First, they defeated Roanoke, 80-79, before dropping a decision to Randolph-Macon, 68-57. Four Cardinals are averaging double figures in the first nine games including 11.8 points per game for Anna Scoblick, 11.6 points per game by Carly Catania, and 11.5 points per game out of Amelia Kennedy. 

Rounding out the weekend's participants is Maryville, coming into the weekend with a 3-3 overall record. The Scots toppled Transylvania on the road earlier this season and also secured wins against Wesleyan and Warren Wilson. Maryville is led by Emily Wilson with 14.7 points per game while knocking down 17 three-pointers in six games so far. 

Following the home tournament, the Captains will break for the holidays before traveling to Florida for a pair in the week between Christmas and New Year's. CNU will play in the St. Pete Beach Classic against Wellesley College on Monday, December 29 at 11:00 a.m. before facing off against Washington University in St. Louis at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 30.