NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Five Christopher Newport players finished in double figures in the same game for the first time this season and the Captains powered past Southern Virginia University (13-5) with a dominant second half effort to capture a 79-55 win at home on Wednesday night. The Captains outscored the Knights by a count of 49-24 in the second half to eliminate a halftime deficit and improve to 16-4 overall this season. 

CNU trailed by as many as 11 points in the second quarter when Maya Foster scored on a jumper with 5:06 remaining before halftime to take a 31-20 lead. From there, it was all CNU, scoring 10 straight points to close out the opening half down just one and used that momentum to finish out a 14-0 run to re-take the lead, 34-31 on the first two possessions of the second half. 

The start of the third quarter was marked by a tormenting defensive presence by the Captains, who forced four straight turnovrs in the first two minutes of the second half. The teams then locked in a back-and-forth stretch through the middle of the third quarter with six ties and five lead changes that saw Southern Virginia take their final advantage at 39-38 on a pair of free throws. Christopher Newport took control rapidly at the end of the third, turning a 41-all tie game into a 13-point lead heading into the final ten minutes. 

Highlighting the surge was McKenna Snively, splashing in a three-pointer from the left wing on a nice feed from the top of the key by Elizabeth Creed. Snively then dropped a sneaky pass through the lane for Madison McKenzie for a finish. After McKenzie converted 1-of-2 at the line, the Captains got two offensive rebounds to extend the possession. Finally, McKenzie found Snively cutting through the lane and her looping layup snuck in off the glass. On the other end of the floor, the Knights tried to run out a fast break but McKenzie got back in time and rejected a shot attempt close to the basket. On the ensuing break, Hailey Kellogg lobbed a perfectly-placed pass over the top to Elizabeth Creed for a fastbreak finish. 

With ten points in the game-changing run coming in just over a minute and a half, the torrid pace continued as Creed and McKenzie each snagged steals on the final two possessions, which led to another fastbreak bucket for Snively to end the quarter on a 14-1 roll to take a 13-point lead, 55-42. 

Any thoughts of a Southern Virginia comeback were hastily denied early in the fourth quarter when Mia Wilson took control of the offense for CNU. Up by 14 with nine minutes remaining, Wilson buried back-to-back triples and added a jumper for a personal 8-0 run that all but sealed the Captains victory by giving CNU a 22-point lead with less than seven minutes to play, 65-43. The Knights got a pair of close buckets to close to 18, but Snively grabbed a steal at half court and finished the run out to retake a 20-point lead that they would not relinquish again. 

In total, the Captains turned a 41-41 tie into an insurmountable 22-point lead with a 24-2 run that spanned just under seven minutes (6:37) between the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth. In that burst, the CNU defense held the Knights to an 0-for-5 performance from the field with eight turnovers in 13 possessions. 

CNU knocked down five of their six three-pointers in the second half including three by Wilson and a game-ending long-range bullet from McKenzie to finish with her second 20+ point scoring performance this season. The triple gave her 21 points to pair with five assists, two blocks, and three steals. She led a quintet of Captains in double figures as Wilson's three-point barrage saw her finish second on the squad with 14 points. Snively and Creed each had a dozen and Hailey Kellogg added 11 points for the Captains. It was the first time since a matchup against Warren Wilson on February 17, 2024, that five CNU players finished with 10 or more points when Mia Wilson, Nicole Timko, Jessica Dornak, Caitlin Crump, and Ashley Steadman each reached the mark in a 91-51 win over the Owls. 

Kellogg matched her career high with seven assists in the game and played 28 minutes at point guard for the Captains against the tough Southern Virginia defense. She added three steals and a pair of rebounds for CNU in the win. Creed also set a career high with five steals, besting her previous high of three. She and the rest of the Captains lineup combined for 22 thefts and forced 30 Southern Virginia turnovers. 

The Captains erased an 11-point deficit, marking the second largest lead overcome in a win this season after clearing a 12-point edge by TCNJ on November 19. It was the largest lead faced by the Captains against any opponent at the Freeman Center since a 12-point advantage by St. Mary's (Md.) on January 9, 2019 -- a span of 62 home games. That, too, was erased as CNU flexed its home court advantage with a 60-2 record at home in that stretch. 

As a team, the Captains shot 43.8 percent (28-64) and hauled in 16 offensive rebounds. The Captains' depth reigned over the Knights as Southern Virginia got just four of its 55 points from bench players while the hosts scored 33 bench points. Facing a talented front court by the Knights, the Captains outrebounded the visitors by three an were led by a season-high eight boards from Noelle Cabiness. She added a pair of blocked shots and the Captains recorded six swats in the matchup with Dornak and McKenzie each adding a couple each. 

CNU will stay at home for its next game as the Captains will host Mary Washington (9-12) on Saturday, February 7. Tip against the Eagles is set for 2:00 p.m. Mary Washington has won two in a row with wins against Regent (88-20) and Salisbury (52-50).