Postgame Press Conference

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team nearly erased a double-digit fourth quarter deficit but came up just short as the Captains (26-2) closed their season with a loss in the NCAA Tournament Opening Round against Montclair State, 67-64. CNU trailed by 11 with seven minutes to play before catching fire with 21 points in the final stretch but the Red Hawks did just enough to hold off the Captains comeback and advanced to Saturday's second round. 

"It stings a little bit, but we're not going to let that take away from what these guys have done," said head coach Bill Broderick. "(The seniors) have taken us from being a good regional program to being a national program. I'm just extremely thankful for all they've done to help change the culture of our program. They are outstanding role models for our younger players and I'm hoping our younger players will learn from that and continue to build on this program."

Christopher Newport finished the 2024-25 season with a 26-2 record after capturing a sixth straight conference tournament championship and reaching the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship for the 25th time. 

A slow start offensively plagued the Captains as Montclair State was able to build a double-digit lead in the first quarter and led by as many as 13 in the first half. With 3:47 left in the second quarter, the Red Hawks connected on a three-pointer by Alyssa Craigwell that made it 31-18 and forced a CNU timeout. Out of the berak, the Captains ratcheted up the defense and forced four missed shots and a turnover but could not take advantage on the offensive end until Hannah Kaloi drilled a three-pointer with about 90 seconds remaining in the half. 

Montclair State converted twice in the final minute while Gabbi San Diego added a layup and Madison McKenzie buried a trey to trim the halftime lead to nine, 35-26. CNU shot just 27.8 percent in the first half (10-36) while Montclair State was hitting at a 42.4 percent clip. 

Neither team could get much going in the third quarter and both finished with 12 points to keep the margin at nine heading into the final ten minutes. Craigwell scored seven points in the first three minutes to keep Montclair State ahead by 11, 54-43, before Christopher Newport started to chip away. 

A three-pointer by Elizabeth Creed pulled CNU within eight and Alexia Lindsey finished a tough layup to get CNU back within two possessions at 54-48. A key turnover gave CNU the ball back and on their second chance, Kaloi converted for two with 4:53 remaining, 54-50. On the next possession, the Red Hawks turned to Craigwell from the perimeter and she connected on another three, but CNU answered back with a nice finish from Creed in the paint off a feed from Lindsey. 

After the media timeout, Montclair State extended back to eight with a three-pointer, this time from Shannon Hughes, and added a blocked shot on the defensive end. A miss by the Red Hawks gave CNU a chance to trim again and Kaloi finished off a pass from Camille Malagar. The two teams went back-and-forth on the next two possessions as precious minutes ticked off the clock; with less than two minutes to go, Craigwell put the Red Hawks back up by eight, 64-56. 

CNU refused to go quietly as Creed sank another three-pointer the next time down the floor and forced a turnover to get the ball back. Trailing by five, the Captains got a shot off in the paint but it just rattled out and CNU was forced to foul in the final minute. CNU got a key miss at the line from Montclair and Malagar drove right to the basket for a bucket to make it 65-61 with 34 seconds remaining. Montclair State went just 2-for-6 at the free-throw line but with just one foul themselves, were able to waste valuable seconds in the final ten seconds with three fouls to give. 

Mia Wilson hit a monstrous triple off a pass from Gabbi San Diego, which would prove to be the final assist of her illustrious career at point guard for CNU, but the Captains were unable to get another clear look despite forcing a 27th and final turnover by the Red Hawks. 

With five assists in her final game, San Diego closed her career ranked sixth all-time at CNU with 361. She also had a pair of steals for CNU to help lead the defensive effort while playing a team-high 28 minutes. 

Malagar led the Captains in the scoring column by scoring 16 points on 7-of-19 shooting. Creed and Kaloi each finished in double figures with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Kaloi fell just one rebound shy of a double-double with a team-high nine rebounds while Creed hauled in six. 

For the senior class -- San Diego, Malagar, Kaloi, Lindsey, and Hannah Orloff -- the Captains finished their career with the highest winning percentage in program history. Compiling the second most wins in CNU history for a class with 110, the four-year members of the Captains suffered just six losses. The 110-6 record is good for a winning percentage of 94.8 percent, shattering the previous mark of 92.4 set by last year's senior class. 

The Captains are now 37-25 all-time in NCAA Tournament play including a 17-8 record in the first round. In 11 postseason tournament appearances under head coach Bill Broderick, the Captains are now 25-10 (.714).