NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Playing in front of the home crowd for the first time in 2025-26, the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team put together a historic performance on the glass and pulled away from Marymount University (2-4) for an 89-63 win at the Freeman Center on Tuesday night. Junior Elizabeth Creed notched her second straight double-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and sophomore Madison McKenzie led all scorers with 19 points in the win. 

The Captains, who moved up to No. 18 in the WBCA Coaches' Poll prior to tip on Tuesday, improved to 7-2 overall with their fifth straight win.

CNU dominated on the glass with a +15 rebound margin that included one of the highest single-game offensive rebounding performances in program history. With 32 caroms on the offensive end, the Captains hauled in the second most O-boards since January 3, 2002. CNU set the record last season with 35 offensive rebounds at Greensboro College, but the 32 recorded against the Saints on Tuesday stand tied for the sixth most in program history. 

Cleaning up on the offensive boards, six different CNU players registered multiple O-boards led by eight from Creed. Sydney Worsham hauled in five, McKenzie had three along with Sarah Pritz and Hazel Grepps, and Noelle Cabiness added a pair. Overall, it was the third time this season that CNU has topped 50 rebounds in a game after reaching that mark only five times all last year. 

A product of the Captains' work on the glass was a disparity of nearly 50 more shots taken in the game by the home team. CNU took 93 shots in the game which nearly cracked the top-10 all-time at CNU and was the most field goal attempts in a game in over three decades. CNU last had more field goal attempts during the Clinton administration when the Captains took 95 shots at Ferrum on January 21, 1994. 

Limiting chances for Marymount also came through the team defense that forced 28 turnovers in the game. CNU snagged 18 steals with a game-high four from Worsham and three apiece for Creed, McKenzie, and Hailey Kellogg. The Captains also protected the rim with five blocked shots including a pair on back-to-back possessions by Cabiness. 

CNU trailed by as many as eight early in the game when Marymount jumped out to a 14-6 lead in the first quarter. The Captains closed on a 10-4 run to get the score back to two, 18-16, at the end of the first and then scored the first six points of the second quarter to cap the run at 16-4 over a span of 5:41. In the game-changing run, the Captains secured nine offensive boards and grabbed five steals. Punctuating the burst at the start of the second quarter was a three-point play by Creed assisted by Grepps and then a fast-break layup by McKenzie on a nice feed from Caitlin Crump that made it 21-18. 

The teams traded triples the next trip down the floor, but the Captains took the lead for good on a short jumper from the base line by Grepps on a pass by Sarah Pritz. It triggered another big burst, 17-4, through the majority of the second quarter that saw Christopher Newport open up a 13-point lead, 41-28, with 1:52 to go. Closing out the run, senior point guard Hailey Kellogg dazzled fans with a wicked crossover to lose her defender and finished with a short jumper in the lane. The Saints scored six straight headed into the locker room, but would get no closer than the seven-point lead at the intermission, 41-34. 

In the second half, the Captains pulled away with a dominant 28-point third quarter and another 20 points in the fourth frame. Continuing to showcase an impressive offensive balance, Creed, McKenzie, and Worsham all finished with six points in the third period. Atiana Williams and Crump each dropped in a three-pointer while Mia Wilson and Jessica Dornak added two points apiece. 

In the fourth, newcomer Sydney Richardson led the way with four points after knocking down each of her two field goal attempts. Pritz added four as well while Creed and Worsham each capped their impressive performances with three points in the period. 

In the game, McKenzie finished with 19 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals, and a blocked shot as she filled the stat sheet. Creed locked up her second consecutive double-double and became the first player since Caitlin Crump went back-to-back last January when she finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Creed also added three steals and two assists while burying four three-pointers in the game. Rounding out the double-figure scoring performances for CNU was Worsham with 14 points and the rookie added six rebounds, four steals, and two assists. 

McKenzie led the team in assists but Hailey Kellogg added an impressive 4 to 0 assist to turnover ratio while running point for the Captains. 

Marymount got double figure scoring from four of its five starters but only scored five bench points in the game. CNU scored 43 points from the reserves including season-high totals for Williams (7), Grepps (6), and Richardson (4). 

Christopher Newport improved to 13-0 all-time in home openers under head coach Bill Broderick. The Captains have won 18 home-opening games in a row dating back to the 2006-07 season and have now won 13 home games in a row dating back to Nov. 13, 2024. That marks the sixth longest home winning streak since the Freeman Center opened in 2000-01; CNU is now 139-12 in home games under the direction of Broderick for a winning percentage of 92.1 percent. 

Heading back on the road, the Captains will travel to North Carolina Wesleyan on Thursday, December 4 for a 6:00 p.m. matchup against the Battling Bishops. CNU will then face Navy in an exhibition on December 14 and Virginia Wesleyan on the road December 16 before returning home for the Nelson Hinson Invitational on December 19-20.