SELINSGROVE, Pa. -- Leaning on the offensive production by junior
Madison McKenzie and a stalwart defensive performance as a team, the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team captured a double-digit win in the opening game of the 2026-27 season. The Captains defeated SUNY Cobleskill (0-1) by a final score of 60-50 and improved to 13-1 all-time in season-opening games under head coach
Bill Broderick.
McKenzie fell just one point shy of her career high with a 26-point performance against the Fighting Tigers as the All-Region guard from Gainesville, Virginia knocked down 10 of her 16 field goal attempts in the game. She had five points from the free-throw line and knocked down one of her two attempts from long range. She was the only CNU player in double figures as the rest of the Captains production came in a balanced effort with ten players finding their way into the scoring column.
The Captains dominated on the boards and finished with a +18 in the rebounding margin after hauling in 54 rebounds including 19 on the offensive glass. Senior
Elizabeth Creed led the effort with a career-high-tying 11 caroms while junior
Sarah Pritz hauled in nine boards including three O-boards.
Defensively, CNU recorded 16 steals and five blocks with
Atiana Williams and Creed leading the way with three thefts apiece and Creed added three of the five rejections. The Captains forced 31 Tigers turnovers and turned them into 26 points in the game.
CNU led by as many as eleven in the first half, but Cobleskill trimmed the advantage to six at halftime, 32-26. In the second half, the teams traded baskets through the third quarter but the Captains re-took a double-digit lead in the fourth and sailed to the win, 60-50.
After surrendering the first bucket of the game, a quick three-pointer off the jump ball, the Captains locked in defensively and did not allow another point for over five minutes of game time as they went on an 8-0 run to take the early control. The CNU defense held Cobleskill scoreless for 5:19 before a jumper ended the drought but
Caitlin Crump answered right back with a three-pointer off a feed from Williams to take an 11-5 lead.
The Captains added a three-pointer by McKenzie and a pair of free throws as the run would grow to a 16-2 spurt that opened up an 11-point lead, 16-5. Cobleskill mustered just two made field goals in the first 9:21 of the first quarter and only three makes total in the first quarter against the suffocating CNU defense.
In the second quarter the Captains managed to hold the distance until the final three minutes when a pair of free throws by Creed made it 30-19. The Tigers closed on a 7-2 run and carried some momentum into the locker room as the run extended into the third quarter as Cobleskill pulled back within two, 32-30, with the first four points of the second half.
McKenzie picked up a key steal and layup to end the comeback bid and added another make with 5:28 left in the third to retake a six-point lead. Cobleskill closed to within two again, 38-36, before rookie
Zoe Burruss connected on a pull up jumper with 3:09 left. From there, the teams traded baskets, including a nice layup by
Noelle Cabiness on an assist by McKenzie, and two more driving layups by the leading scorer.
The third quarter effort proved to be the last chance for the Fighting Tigers as Christopher Newport quickly extended in the fourth. Crump and Williams scored the first two buckets in the final stanza and CNU led by double-digits again, 50-40, with 7:16 left. Cobleskill would get no closer than six the rest of the way and senior
Mia Wilson supplied the dagger with a triple with 3:32 left that put the Captains up by a game-high 13 points, 58-45.
With the win, the Captains advance to the Susquehanna Tipoff Tournament Championship Game on Sunday against the host River Hawks who rolled by St. John Fisher, 59-34, in the first game of tournament action on Saturday. CNU and Susquehanna will tip at approximately 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
