NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Senior center/forward Barbara Davis collected 11 rebounds, two steals and a block in the first half to lead a Christopher Newport defense that held Shenandoah University (4-7, 0-4 USA South) to just nine first half points and held on for the wire-to-wire win, 59-40. The 6th ranked Captains improved to 10-1 overall this season, 4-0 in USA South, including a season sweep of Shenandoah.

The Captains defense was tremendous for the third straight game, holding the Hornets to just 9.1% shooting in the first half on 3-of-33 shooting. Shenandoah shot just  26.7% from the field in the game, the third straight contest CNU has held its opponent to sub-30% from the field (16.4% vs. Va. Wesleyan, 23.7% vs. Mary Washington). It was also the third time this season the Captains managed to hold its opponent to 10 or fewer points in a half (10 vs. Messiah, 10 vs. Va. Wesleyan).

CNU raced out to a 27-9 lead at the half, despite 14 first-half turnovers, led by Davis and senior Chelsie Schweers, who led all scorers with 10 points. Rookie Tia Perry also had a solid first half, grabbing four rebounds, posting three assists and three steals in her first career start.

In the second half, Schweers added 15 to give her a game-high 15 as she helped the Captains hold off a much improved shooting Shenandoah team, who kept pace with CNU, 32-31 in the second half. Shenandoah shot 48.1% from the field in the second, compared to just the 9.1% in the first.

Jessica Moore finished just one point shy of a double-double, scoring nine points while adding 12 rebounds.

The win gives CNU it's 29th straight home win, the longest active streak in Division III and third behind only UCONN (69) and Stanford (52) at all levels. CNU returns to action this weekend as they travel to Mary Baldwin on Satureday, January 8 for a 2:00 pm game.