FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- Christopher Newport senior Hailey Kellogg saved her best for last. Ranking among the national leaders among active players in career games played with 109 coming in, Kellogg spent most of her career as a distributor, piling up over 250 assists. On Saturday, in game number 110 and her 96th career regular season contest, Kellogg took over the role as scorer and poured in a career-high 18 points to lead the Captains to a 60-48 win over Mary Washington on the road, capping the regular season with a 21-4 overall record. 

The game will not be the last for Kellogg as the Captains prepare for the 2026 Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference, but her 96 career regular season games rank among the most for Christopher Newport since head coach Bill Broderick took the helm. She has played in over 2,000 career minutes and has been a reliable, resilient point guard for the Captains. In Saturday's win over the Eagles -- Kellogg's 11th career win against the C2C rivals -- the senior from Gainesville, Va. was perfect at the free-throw line (6-6) and buried a career-high six field goals for 12 points.

The effort came in a gritty 38-minute appearance as the Captains were saddled with an injury to backup point guard Mia Wilson. It was the most minutes by a CNU player in a game since Anaya Simmons and Katy Rader eclipsed 40 in a double-overtime game against Washington & Lee on January 8, 2023. The 38 minutes played tied for the most in a regulation contest since Hall of Famer Chelsie Schweers closed her career without ever coming off the floor in a 40-minute showing in the NCAA Division III National Consolation Game on March 19, 2011, leading CNU to a 64-58 win over Illinois Wesleyan in her final game.  

Playing the game in front of nearly 300 spectators at Ron Rosner Arena in the Anderson Center in Fredericksburg, the Captain fell behind the host Eagles by as many as eight in the first quarter, 12-4, after a layup by Juliona Mabie. The teams traded three-pointers, with McKenna Snively sinking one for the Captains followed by a triple from Maddy Jenisch. Sarah Pritz then tickled the twine from outside and added a steal and finish to cut the lead to three, 15-12, with 3:39 left in the opening quarter. 

By the time the quarter turned, the Captains had weathered the initial burst and carried a two-point lead into the second, 17-15. Elizabeth Creed sank a three to start the period and Christopher Newport registered their largest lead of the first half, but the two teams battled  back and forth before the hosts took a one-point lead into halftime, 28-27. Neither team scored in the final 2:50 of the first half as the defenses locked in and forced six turnovers and seven missed shots in the final stretch of the half. 

Kellogg got going right at the start of the second half, scoring the first two of her 14 second-half points on the first possession of the third quarter. CNU held the lead for the first four minutes before a three-pointer by Jenna Steadman flipped the scoreboard again, 33-32, in favor of the eagles. It proved to be the last lead of the game for the hosts, however, as Kellogg drove to the basket and finished to push CNU ahead again. 

Moments later, Creed connected on another triple and Kellogg added back-to-back buckets to give the Captains a five-point edge, 43-38. Two free throws by rookie Hazel Grepps built the lead to a game-high seven, 45-38, heading into the final ten minutes. 

In the fourth, Kellogg got back to her roots with a beautiful feed inside for Creed to finish on the first possession after the media timeout. Then, with the defenses locked in, the senior point guard would go to the line three times in the final two minutes and buried all six shots from the charity stripe. Her effort at the line extended the lead to a dozen where the final verdict rested, 60-48. 

Kellogg finished 6-for-12 from the field with 18 points, 3 assists, one rebound, and two steals. Sophomore Madison McKenzie also added 14 points for the Captains as the only other double-figure scorer in the game for CNU. Creed had eight points and five rebounds while Pritz poured in nine points with seven rebounds and four steals off the bench. 

The unrelenting CNU defense forced 30 turnovers and grabbed 16 steals in the game. In addition to Pritz four, McKenzie and Creed added three apiece. Jessica Dornak, McKenna Snively, and Sydney Richardson each had one theft in the game. 

Christopher Newport will next travel to Salisbury University for the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament hosted by the Sea Gulls in Maryland. The quarterfinal round will be played on Thursday, February 26 with CNU awaiting their opponent in Friday's semifinal round. The winning teams on Friday will advance to the championship bout on Saturday night at the Maggs Center. Stay tuned to C2Csports.com and CNUsports.com for updates on the schedule.