ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- Shooting nearly 54 percent and knocking down 14 field goals in the third quarter, the Christopher Newport women's basketball team registered one of the finest offensive quarters in program history at Everett Gymnasium on Thursday night, helping lift the 18th-ranked Captains (8-2) to a 99-73 win at North Carolina Wesleyan University (1-5). 

Christopher Newport scored 36 points against the Battling Bishops in the third period. Only thrice have the Captains scored more points in a quarter since the NCAA made the switch to the format in 2015-16. In the ten seasons, 277 games and over 1,100 quarters played since, CNU scored more points only three times when the team established the program record with 45 points against Goucher on November 19, 2022 and twice when the Captains scored 37 in a stanza against Southern Virginia on January 2, 2016 and then again versus Warren Wilson on January 20, 2024. 

With the dominating performance, the Captains turned a seven-point lead at halftime, 44-37, into a runaway victory leading 80-54 after three quarters of play. Defense led the way in the period as Christopher Newport averaged a steal a minute against the Bishops in the third and forced 16 turnovers overall. Caitlin Crump was the catalyst with five of the ten CNU steals while Hailey Kellogg added a pair. 

Offensively, rookie Sydney Worsham had seven points on 3-of-3 shooting and Mia Wilson added six of her team-high 19 points in the period. The ball was spread around with eight different players factoring into the 36-point outburst including five from Crump, four for Kellogg and Sarah Pritz, three for Hazel Grepps, and two from Kaycee Doughty. Rounding out the impressive third-quarter production was a dominant showing from transfer Noelle Cabiness. She scored five points, hauled in four rebounds, and swatted three shots for the Captains in the third. 

Now holding onto a big lead headed into the fourth quarter, all 19 points scored in the final frame came from the CNU bench. Pritz added another five to lead the way while Atiana Williams and Worsham each chipped in four points. Denniyah Tanner and Lily Soller helped CNU hold onto the lead wtih points from the free-throw stripe, where CNU was 9-for-11 in the final period. 

Prior to the Captains pulling away in the second half, the home team jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter. The Bishops led by as many as seven points, 18-11, before a 16-0 CNU run flipped the scoreboard and changed the game. Mia Wilson was the spark, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers and adding a pair of perfect trips to the free throw line for 10 of the 16 points in the burst. 

CNU extended the lead to 10 at 31-21 with 6:49 remaining in the first half when Williams went 2-for-2 from the line. N.C. Wesleyan battled back to get within four points, 32-28, but the Captains held off the comeback bid by pulling ahead by ten again, 44-34, in the final minute of the second quarter. Wilson drained another triple and Williams another from the charity stripe to punctuate the run. The Bishops scored the final three points of the half, but would not be able to handle the third quarter stranglehold by the Captains. 

Four CNU players finished in double figures in the game led by Wilson's 19 points. She was joined by 13 points from Sydney Worsham, a dozen for Caitlin Crump, and 10 points by Sarah Pritz. Elizabeth Creed narrowly missed her third double-double in a row and finished out the game with eight points and a team-leading nine rebounds. 

Kellogg helped lead the potent offensive performance with a team-high five assists, giving her an even 200 for her career. She is the fifth CNU player to reach 200 career assists in the last ten seasons, joining Gabbi San Diego, Sondra Fan, Zhara Tannor, and Makenzie Fancher. Kellogg moved up to 29th on the career charts at CNU with the performance.

CNU shot 45.1 percent from the field (32-71) in the game for a season-high 99 points. The defense held North Carolina Wesleyan to just 37.9 percent (22-58) and forced 34 total turnovers. The Captains took advantage of those giveaways, scoring 46 points in the game off turnovers. 

The Captains have won six games in a row and are now 8-2 overall this season. The team will now take a break for final exams and will return to action on Sunday, December 14 for an exhibition game at Navy. Tip against the Mids is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.