NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The 10th-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team will flip the calendar to 2017 with a perfect 10-0 overall record, following an 81-51 drubbing of Virginia Wesleyan College (5-4) on Friday afternoon. The Captains are 10-0 for the third time in program history after four players finished in double figures and the dominating CNU defense forced 25 turnovers and allowed just 19 second-half points. 

Junior frontcourt starters Devon Byrd and Sam Porter led the way on Friday, as Byrd notched her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Porter finished with a team-high 17 points while adding nine rebounds, five steals, two asssists and a block. The other two Captains in double figures were Makenzie Fancher and Bailey Dufrene, pouring in 12 points apiece. 

Early in the game, the Captains erased a 4-1 deficit with a 14-2 run to take a 15-6 advantage, and then added another quick spurt ran the lead to 12, at 21-9. The Marlins would pressure the Captains in the first part of the second quarter, cutting the double-digit lead down to four, at 34-30, primarily behind the efforts of leading scorer Jayla Harris.  Harris scored 19 first-half points, including eight straight Virginia Wesleyan points in the middle of the second quarter. After a NiAsia Caldwell triple cut the lead to four with 3:24 remaining, though, it was all Christopher Newport the rest of the way.

A 16-2 run over that final three and a half minutes powered CNU into the locker room with all the momentum they would need. Showing off the aforementioned balance, Makeda Wright got things started with a three-pointer, followed by unanswered layups from Porter, Dufrene, and Byrd. After four more points from Byrd and Porter, Harris finally stopped the 13-0 spurt with a jumper with only five seconds left. With short time, Fancher got the inbounds pass, raced up the right side of the court and launched a half-court buzzer beater from the sideline, banking in the shot to give the Captains a 50-point half. 

CNU carried a 50-32 advantage into the locker room courtesy of the big run, and never looked back. The lead would grow to as many as 30, which also proved to be the final tally at 81-51. 

The defense was the story in the second half, as CNU ramped up their intensity and forced 16 giveaways after intermission. After forcing just nine turnovers in the first half, one of the nation's leading defenses had a much more impressive second half and finished with 14 steals and six blocks. Virginia Wesleyan shot just 28.3% (17-60), including a paltry 14.3% (4-28) in the second 20 minutes of action. The Marlins managed just nine points in the third quarter and 10 in the fourth. 

The Captains dominated the glass from the outset, getting out to a 16-4 advantage in rebounding to start the game. The final count was 52-32, with CNU hauling in 19 offensive rebounds for 10 second-chance points. 

Offensively, the Captains filled the stat sheet up and down the roster. Makeda Wright had a stellar game off the bench, finishing with nine points, five assists, and four rebounds in just 16 minutes of action. Jasmine Bonivel also had a strong performance, scoring seven points in nine minutes of play. 

As a team, the Captains dished out 21 assists on 29 made field goals. Behind Wright's five, Fancher added four dimes, while Byrd added three. Nine different players registered at least one assist, and 12 different players ended up in the scoring column. 

Virginia Wesleyan got double figures from Harris and Caldwell, but only one other player finished with more than one made field goal. Harris' 31 points are the third most by an opponent in the Freeman Center.

CNU will wrap up non-conference action this Sunday, January 1 in a New Year's Day doubleheader at the Freeman Center, as the Captains take on the Newport News Apprentice School at 2:00 pm. The CNU men will follow, facing Virginia Wesleyan at 4:00 pm.