MIDDLETOWN, Pa. -- In what might have been the most complete game of the season from the 21st-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team, the Captains rushed past host Penn State Harrisburg (5-8, 1-4) for a dominant 61-point victory, 87-26. CNU improved to 11-2 overall, with a 4-1 mark in league play, after posting thesecond- largest margin of victory since 1998 and 16th best performance in program history. 

Offensively, the Captains shot 41.3% and knocked down eight three-pointers, but for the third straight game, highlighted by a third consecutive 30+ turnover performance, it was the defense that stole the spotlight. While CNU knocked down eight shots from beyond the arc, the Lions managed to put down just eight total shots in the game. The Captains held their new conference foes to just 14.8% shooting overall and the third lowest scoring output for a CNU opponent since the 1998-99 season. 

Early in the ball game, the Lions led 5-4 as Jasmine Yanich knocked down two of the first three attempts for the home team, but that would be the last lead of the game for Penn State Harrisburg. After the early spurt by the sophomore guard, CNU would go on a 17-2 run, forcing seven turnovers and surging to a 14-point lead, 21-7. 

After a three-pointer by Bree Green, the Captains run kept growing as they scored the next 20 straight points to take a huge 31-point edge, 41-10. The 37-5 run put CNU in front with a commanding lead, who finished the half with a 51-17 advantage headed into the locker room. 

The foot came off the gas a bit in the second half, as CNU scored just 36 points after intermission, but the defense never let up. In fact, Penn State Harrisburg would manage just three made baskets in the second stanza, with ten points scored. The Captains held the Lions without a made field goal in the final 11:15 of the contest, scoring just twice on made free-throws in that stretch.

The dominant defensive effort was led by sophomore Brandi Holland, with six steals, and Tia Perry, with five. CNU finished with 18 thefts as a team, and five blocked shots. Christopher Newport also held a 49-31 advantage in the rebounding battle as all but one player finished with at least one board.

Offensively, Holland broke out with career-high 18 points on a 7-of-12 shooting performance. She knocked down a pair of three-pointers and added three assists and two rebounds. Sophomore Jordan Miller added four made three-pointers and was second on the squad with 14 points, while senior Nicole Mitchell rounded out the double-figure scoring with 12 points on 4-of-9 from the field. Mitchell is now just six points shy of 1,000 for her career.

Only two Captains saw more than 20 minutes of action on Saturday, as head coach Bill Broderick got the whole team into the game for much-needed conference play experience. League play continues this Wednesday as CNU faces a huge test against Mary Washington (9-4, 3-3)  at 6:00 pm.