NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Sophomore Kiana Kirkland shot 8-of-14 from the floor and hit three triples to notch her first career 20-point performance on Wednesday night, leading the 9th-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team to a 93-57 victory over Southern Virginia University (12-10, 5-10). The Captains won their ninth straight game and 14th straight at home while also reaching the 20-win plateau for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons. 

Playing at the Freeman Center in front of a crowd of over 400, the Captains improved to 20-2 overall and 14-1 in league action with the win. CNU grabbed a program-record 35 offensive rebounds, erasing a record that has stood since the Captains hauled in 34 against Methodist on November 19, 1994.

A pair of seniors also notched milestone statistics in the game, as Sam Porter and Makenzie Fancher each lifted themselves to third on an all-time chart. With four steals, Porter now has 292 for her career, matching Alice Streetman for third all-time; she trails Alice Streetman ('95)'s 328 for second on the all-time list. Fancher buried a pair of three-pointers to take over sole possession of third on the all-time makes list, with 122, passing Kinsey Pritchett ('93). 

The Captains used it's usual smothering defense to build a 47-26 lead at halftime and added another 15 points to the final margin of victory in the second half for a 36-point win at home. With the 14th straight win at home, the Captains have extended their fourth longest home winning streak while improving to 25-1 in Newport News over the last two seasons. 

Kirkland scored 12 of her 20 points in the first half on 5-of-8 shooting with a trio of three-pointers. Her first shot from beyond the arc came with 4:29 showing in the first quarter and triggered a 10-0 run by the Captains. In the second quarter, CNU forced 14 turnovers and held the Knights to just 4-13 shooting while the Captains steadily built the big lead. Christopher Newport outscored the visiting Knights, 25-8, in the second ten minutes of play. 

Rookie Katie Garrish put up an impressive performance for Southern Virginia with a near triple-double, but it would not be enough as the Captains' depth cruised to a runaway victory in the second half. Garrish would finish with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 blocked shots for the Knights.

Outside of Kirkland's 20-point performance, no other Captain was in double figures but six other players finished with at least seven points in the game. Sophomore Micah Maloney narrowly missed another double-double with 9 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, while junior Jessica Daguilh had a similar performance up front with 9 points and 8 rebounds. The two also combined for 5 blocks and 4 steals. 

In the backcourt, junior point guard Zhara Tannor registered one of the finest performances of her career with a personal best 9 assists paired with 0 turnovers. It is the most helpers in a game since Michele Russell delivered 11 against Greensboro College in February 2008. 

Christopher Newport will head back on the road for two straight games before closing out the regular season at home next Saturday, February 17 against York (Pa.) at 6:00 pm. Next up on the schedule is a road trip to Penn State Harrisburg on Saturday, February 10 with tip set for 1:00 pm.