NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team got out to a big lead early and cruised to another blowout victory on Wednesday night, downing North Carolina Wesleyan College (5-5) by a final score of 91-49. The Captains improved to 8-0 with the victory, in an impressive team effort that saw four players finish in double figures and 11 different players score five points or more. 

Sophomore Zhara Tannor led the Captains in a stellar performance up and down the floor, finishing with 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting, while adding a 7-for-8 performance at the free-throw line. She dished out five assists and also grabbed six steals. Jessica Daguilh also had an efficient night, scoring 10 points on 5-of-7 attempts, while adding five rebounds and three steals. Rounding out the double figure scoring for CNU was junior Makenzie Fancher, with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, and Annemarie Beran, with a career-best 11 points in a 5-of-8 shooting effort. 

As a team, the defense continues to lead the way for the Captains, who forced 31 turnovers and grabbed 18 steals in the game. N.C. Wesleyan was held to just seven points in the first quarter and only 10 points in the final frame, while shooting just over 28% for the game (16-57).  

In the opening quarter, the Captains' suffocating defense allowed just eight field goal attempts in ten minutes of action. The Bishops connected just twice, and finished the stanza with just seven points on the board. The defense forced 11 turnovers and picked up seven steals, scoring 12 points off of NC Wesleyan giveaways.
 
Powered by the stellar defensive effort, the Captains raced out to a 23-7 lead after the first quarter, led by eight points from Tannor. Christopher Newport shot over 47% in the first quarter, and used a 14-1 run to end the period to take the big advantage.
 
In the second quarter, the Captains got contributions up and down the roster to hold onto the near 20-point lead at halftime. Junior Jasmine Bonivel made her season debut and connected on her first bucket of the year in the second, and Beran scored four points in the quarter. Freshman Erin Carroll buried a triple from deep, and CNU led by 19 at halftime, 43-24. 

Coming out of the locker room, CNU used a 13-2 run to start the third quarter to pull away and dash any hopes of a Bishops comeback. CNU led by 30, 56-26, just over four minutes into the second half after the furious start on both ends of the floor. Anitra Thomas had a quick five points in the run, and Bonivel showed little rust when she finished on a fast-break layup off a dish from Raven Lott. 

The lead would extend to 33 following a hard-nosed play by Micah Maloney to earn, and subsequently convert, a three-point play, followed by a floater in the lane from Stephanie Seaman. Ths Bishops held on for the remainder of the quarter, but CNU would hold at least a 30-point lead for the rest of the game, extending to as many as 44 before closing out the win, 91-49. CNU shot a red-hot 73.3% from the field in the third quarter, converting on 11 of their 15 attempts.

In the fourth quarter, the Captains looked to a rookie-heavy lineup for most of the minutes, as the CNU reserves earned valuable playing experience. Erin Carroll had a strong performance with five points, five rebounds and three assists, while Beran continued to dominate down low with 11 points and seven rebounds. Hannah MacDonald grabbed a pair of rebounds and earned her first career block on a fast-break, while Micah Maloney also poured in seven points with five rebounds. 

Christopher Newport finished the game shooting 46.2% (30-65), with 21 assists on 30 buckets. The Captains scored 42 points in the paint and 32 points off of turnovers.

The Captains have one game remaining before the holiday break as the team prepares for a tough conference road trip this Saturday, December 17 at Salisbury University (7-1, 3-0). The Sea Gulls are unbeaten at home this season and are riding a six-game winning streak coming into the 2:00 pm tip.