NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Despite double-doubles from junior Jessica Dornak and sophomore Madison McKenzie and a dominant performance on the glass, the 17th-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team dropped a 71-67 overtime decision at home on Saturday afternoon at the hands of Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference foe Salisbury University (11-6). The Captains fall to 15-4 overall this season after suffering the first regular season loss on the home floor since 2018. 

The Captains dominance at home has been well documented since the Freeman Center opened in 2000 and in the 25 seasons since, CNU has played over 320 games with just 40 losses for a winning percentage of nearly 88 percent. In 155 games at home under head coach Bill Broderick, the Captains had suffered just 12 losses prior to Saturday afternoon for a winning percentage of 92.3 percent.

On Saturday afternoon, though, the Sea Gulls managed to force overtime against the nationally-ranked Captains and outscored the home team, 10-6, in extra time to pull out the four-point win. It marks the first overtime loss for the Captains in seven all-time games at the Freeman Center pushed to extra time. The loss snapped a 17-game home winning streak dating back to November 13, 2024, and was the first time a team defeated CNU at home in the regular season since Messiah took down the Captains on December 1, 2018 -- a span of 61 consecutive straight contests. 

The matchup came down to shooting as the Captains could not shake a tough performance from the field, knocking down 28.7 percent on 25-of-87 attempts. CNU led by as many as 11 points in the third quarter when Sarah Pritz buried a contested three-pointer in the corner and Mia Wilson converted 1-of-2 at the line to give CNU a 40-29 lead with 4:35 remaining. Salisbury answered with an 11-0 run to tie things up just two and a half minutes later and the two teams were locked in a back-and-forth battle for the remainder. 

In the fourth quarter, the Captains trailed by one when McKenna Snively buried her second three-pointer of the game to seesaw the home team back in front, 50-48, with 6:29 left in regulation. The teams traded jumpers before Abby Plaugher knocked down a three to re-take the lead for Salisbury, 54-52, with 3:09 left, and the Captains turned to their senior sharpshooter again. After a timeout, Christopher Newport set up Snively for a three from the right wing when Madison McKenzie saw the senior guard lose her defender on the ground. Snively measured up and splashed in her 100th career three-pointer to put the Captains ahead again, 55-54, with 2:51 left. 

Back and forth the game continued as Salisbury got a jumper to sneak back ahead before Jessica Dornak finished on a feed from Elizabeth Creed. With just over a mintue remaining, Salisbury scored to take a 58-57 lead, but McKenzie raced through the Sea Gulls defense and connected on a tough lay-in to push CNU ahead, 59-58. After a foul sent Salisbury to the line, the visitors converted 1-of-2 to knot the score at 59-all. In the final minute, Creed connected on a feed from McKenzie and Nicole Miller tied the game up at 61 points apiece to force overtime. 

In the extra period, Snively and Creed each connected for Christopher Newport, but Salisbury managed to pull ahead by five with a minute to go, 70-65. The Captains got a mammoth turnover with 35 seconds remaining but could not cut into the lead as Salisbury escaped with a key rebound and CNU was forced to foul. Mia Wilson connected on two late free-throws for the final verdict, 71-67. 

Snively finished with 15 points including three made three-pointers to become just the tenth CNU player in program history to reach 100 career makes from beyond the arc. She joins former teammate Sondra Fan as the most recent to knock down 100 triples and is the sixth Captain to eclipse the mark in the last 15 years. 

CNU recorded a pair of double-doubles in the game as McKenzie led the team in scoring with 18 points and hauled in 10 rebounds. She was joined by Dornak who scored 11 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds. The last time two players had a double-double in the same game for the Captains was when Alivia Giles (28 pts, 11 reb) and Gabbi San Diego (11 pts, 10 ast) accomplished the feat against Marymount on January 10, 2024. It is the second career double-double for McKenzie and Dornak's first. 

Junior Elizabeth Creed was just two points shy of joining her aforementioned teammates as the veteran finished with eight points and 10 rebounds in the game. 

Defensively, the Captains forced 23 turnovers and grabbed 17 steals with rookie Hazel Grepps leading the charge with five thefts. Creed, Dornak, McKenzie, and Caitlin Crump each had two steals in the game. The Captains also put together one of the finest defensive periods of the season in the second quarter by holding the Sea Gulls to just six points on 2-of-16 shooting from the field. 

Christopher Newport had a decided advantage in rebounding as the Captains hauled in 60 boards to Salisbury's 41 for a +19 edge. CNU grabbed 32 offensive rebounds in the game and managed 23 second-chance points. 

The Captains will look to bounce back next weekend at Johnson & Wales (N.C.) in Charlotte on Saturday, January 24. Tip against the Wildcats is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.