NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The first career double-double from rookie Emma O'Connor highlighted a dominant performance by the underclassmen on Saturday afternoon as the fifth-ranked Captains improved to 21-1 behind a 92-39 victory against Regent University (1-12). With 64 points from first-year players and all but five points in the game scored by underclassmen, the CNU women's basketball team captured the 14th straight win while maintaining a perfect record at the Freeman Center in 2024-25. 

O'Connor finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds while a breakout performance from Katerina Dakos headlined the day with 23 points for the Captains in her first career start. The 23-point showing was the highest scoring performance by a CNU player this season and tied for the most since Alivia Giles poured in 28 against Marymount on January 10, 2024. 

Four Captains finished in double figures with O'Connor and Dakos joined by rookie Sarah Pritz, with 16 points, and sophomore Jessica Dornak, with 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting. The quartet of underclassmen were joined by Caitlin Crump (9 pts, 9 reb), Charlotte Torgerson (6 pts), Madison McKenzie (4 pts), and Aliyah Elliott (2 pts) to round out a stout showing by the youngest players on the lineup as they combined for 87 of the 92 points in the game. Those last five points came out of the hands of fifth-year senior Gabbi San Diego on 2-of-5 shooting. 

Taking on a Regent squad that featured just eight players on the roster, the Captains started a fresh group of five against the Royals. Dakos made the most of her first career start by knocking down 6-of-13 from the field including a career-high four triples while adding a perfect 7-for-7 effort at the free-throw line. She also led the team in assists on Saturday with six and snagged four steals. 

CNU raced out to a big lead early, outscoring Regent by a count of 18-4 in the opening quarter. Heading into the locker room, the Captains had built a 46-21 advantage and led by as many as 29 in the second quarter when McKenzie grabbed a steal in the open court and finished on the run to make it 46-17. 

Dakos scored 16 of her 23 points in the second half including an 11-point third quarter. CNU went on a big run in the third, scoring 16 straight and 28 of 30 in the period. Adding the first six points of the fourth quarter, the Captains outscored Regent 34-2 over a span of twelve minutes, inflating the lead to a game-high 58 at 83-25 early in the fourth. Leading the charge was the rookie guard as Dakos connected on a three-shot trip to the free-throw line before adding eight straight points in a flash of just 37 seconds at the end of the third. 

In the paint, O'Connor and Dornak flexed their muscle with 17 points and six rebounds combined in the second half. Also helping dominate the glass was graduate transfer forward Sydney Sherman, who hauled in a game- and season-high 11 rebounds. She also added a pair of blocked shots and three assists in the game. 

Overall, the Captains shot 40.7 percent (35-86) and buried 10 three-pointers in the game. Dakos had four from long range while Torgerson and Pritz each dropped in a pair. Crump and San Diego rounded out the deep shooting effort with one made each.

In a game chalk full of well-rounded overall performances, Pritz had another standout showing by finishing second on the team in scoring with 16 points and adding 7 rebounds, 6 steals, and 2 assists. Nine of the ten active Captains finished with multiple assists and nine of ten each had at least one steal. The defense held Regent to just 28.3 percent (13-46) from the field and kept the Royals under 40 points in the contest. 

CNU will return to action on Saturday, February 8 against Penn State Harrisburg at 2:00 p.m. for Senior Day.