NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport women's basketball team captured a 91-57 win over Lehman College (8-7) at the Freeman Center on Sunday afternoon and improved to 15-3 on the season. The Captains were led by four players in double figures including Madison McKenzie (17), Caitlin Crump (16), Jessica Dornak (12), and Sydney Richardson (10).

Crump matched her career-high with 16 points while knocking down four three-pointers in the game while McKenzie led the Captains in scoring for the seventh time this season. Richardson finished with her first career double-digit scoring performance and included two made three-point field goals. The rookie added five rebounds in the game for CNU. Dornak added her second straight and fifth double digit effort while knocking down 6-of-8 from the field. 

Winning the 17th straight home game, the Captains overcame early shooting woes in a wire-to-wire victory against the Lightning. Both teams struggled from the field in the first quarter, but CNU turned the corner for the remaining three to pull away from Lehman in the win. After starting the game just 4-for-24 (16.7 percent), the Captains shot over 45 percent (30-for-66) the rest of the game with 30 made field goals including ten makes from beyond the arc. 

Christopher Newport leaned on a big advantage inside and outrebounded the Lightning by 24 total caroms with a 63-39 advantage overall. CNU secured 30 offensive rebounds in the game with all but three of the 15 active players grabbing at least one rebound on the offensive glass. Noelle Cabiness and Hazel Grepps led the way with four O-boards apiece while Kaycee Doughty snagged half of her career-high six boards on the offensive end. 

For the Captains, the 63 rebounds were the most for the program since hauling in 67 at Bridgewater on November 17, 2019. The team balanced their effort on the glass with no one player bringing down more than six as Cabiness, Doughty, McKenzie, and Elizabeth Creed each tied for the team-high effort on the glass. Dornak and Richardson added five rebounds in the win. 

Defensively, the Captains held Lehman to just 27.3 percent shooting (9-for-33) in the first half and forced 15 turnovers. CNU scored 21 points off of those giveaways in the opening half and led by as many as 27 points (43-16) with 2:17 left in the second quarter. 

After the back-and-forth first quarter, the Captains caught fire in the second. Utilizing a 21-3 run to open up a 19-point lead, Christopher Newport pulled ahead 31-12 just over four minutes into the second period. Crump started off the quarter with a three-pointer before a fervent stretch that saw CNU score 10 points in less than 90 seconds. First, a stickback layup from Jessica Dornak was followed by a steal of the entry pass by McKenna Snively and a quick finish by the senior guard. After another offensive rebound and putback for Dornak, Snively looked inside for her again and was rewarded with an assist on a nice spin move in the lane. 

The quick burst was stalled for just a moment on a jumper by Lehman, but Snively continued her hot streak by dropping in a three-pointer from deep on the wing off a feed by McKenzie. The triple built the lead to 20 for the first time in the game and kickstarted another 12-2 run to lead by 27. In total, the Captains turned a 9-9 game late in the first quarter into a 43-16 lead with a 34-7 burst that spanned 9:40 of game time. 

A buzzer-beating offensive rebound and layup by Sarah Pritz at the end of the third quarter gave CNU a 23-point edge at the break, 45-22, and the Captains never led by fewer than 14 again in the game. In the second half, CNU endured a strong third quarter by the visiting team, but responded with a dominant fourth to pull away for the win.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Lehman knocked down a three-pointer to make it 63-49, but the Captains scored 22 of the next 28 points to re-establish the dominant lead. A three-pointer by Sydney Richardson with 2:29 remaining gave the Captains a 30-point lead, 85-55. It was her second triple of the second half and one of five made from beyond the arc by CNU in the final 10 minutes. Christopher Newport shot 55 percent (11-20) from the field including 45.5 percent (5-11) from long range in the fourth quarter. 

Lily Soller, Kendra Rigo, and Kaycee Doughty each scored in the final two minutes for the final verdict, 91-57. Denniyah Tanner added a couple assists and Doughty snagged a late steal to seal the win. 

CNU set a program record for three-point attempts in the game with 40. Crump led the way with four makes while Richardson, McKenzie, and Mia Wilson each knocked down a pair. 

The Captains are off until Saturday, January 17 when they will host Salisbury University. The game is Alumni Appreciation Day against the Sea Gulls and will tip at 2:00 p.m.