ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- All sixteen Captains finished with at least one made field goal in one of the most impressively balanced scoring performances in program history as the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team surged past Wellesley College (4-5) in the St. Pete Classic, 94-54. CNU won its tenth straight game and scored 94 points despite no one player eclipsing 11 points in the contest. 

Caitlin Crump led the team in scoring with 11 points and Madison McKenzie added 10 as the only CNU players in double figures for the game. The balanced scoring effort featured eight points apiece for Jessica Dornak, Hailey Kellogg, Hazel Grepps, and Sydney Richardson, and seven from Atiana Williams. The scoring output continued up and down the lineup with every player getting into the action including six from Lily Soller, five by Elizabeth Creed and McKenna Snively, four points for Sarah Pritz and Noelle Cabiness, and three for Kendra Rigo and Mia Wilson. Rounding out the CNU scoring were points from both Denniyah Tanner and Kaycee Doughty. 

Since head coach Bill Broderick took the helm in 2012-13, it was the third highest scoring output for the Captains without a single player reaching a dozen after a 98-point effort against Virginia Wesleyan on December 15, 2019 and a 97-point showing versus Averett last season on November 13, 2024. In both of those outings, four Captains finished in double figures. 

On Monday morning, playing at Eckerd College in the D3 St. Pete Classic, the Captains and Blue battled back and forth for the first five minutes before Christopher Newport took control. Trailing by two with 5:19 to go in the first quarter, veterans McKenna Snively and Mia Wilson each set each other up for triples to kickstart a 16-0 run that completely changed the momentum of the game. Snively first buried her three-pointer off a feed by Wilson and then, after a steal from Sarah Pritz, Snively returned the favor to Wilson for a deep bomb of her own. Jessica Dornak and Madison McKenzie added layups in the run but it was the three-point shooting that stretched the lead when Caitlin Crump knocked down a pair and handed the Captains a 26-12 advantage with 1:22 left in the opening period. 

In a span of less than four minutes, CNU turned a two-point deficit into a 16-point lead while forcing five turnovers and two missed shots. At the start of the second quarter, McKenzie buried another mid-range jumper and Crump splashed in her third straight attempt from deep on a feed by Hailey Kellogg. Pritz added a layup to boost the lead to a first-half high 19-points, 33-14, and CNU would keep the Blue at arms length for the remainder of the second quarter to lead by 18 at the break, 46-28. 

The pressure continued at the start of the second half with another 14-2 run by the Captains building the lead to 30 on a fast-break layup by Pritz on a nice feed from Sydney Richardson. With a 60-30 lead, CNU never led the advantage slip below 21 the rest of the way. 

The balanced offense finished shooting 46.3 percent (37-80) from the field and knocked down 10 three-pointers from seven different players. Defensively, CNU snagged 21 steals while forcing 28 total turnovers. On the glass, CNU outrebounded Wellesley by ten, with a final count of 44-34 that included 20 offensive rebounds. Taking advantage of Blue turnovers, CNU scored 37 points. 

Ava Shane led the way for the Blue with a double-double, scoring 17 points with 12 rebounds, while Trinity Barrow added 16 points. 

Christopher Newport will return to action on Tuesday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. as they face No. 18 WashU. The Bears were 7-2 entering play on Monday and were locked in a tie game in the third quarter against Southern Virginia at the time of this posting.