NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- An accomplished assortment of seniors took the floor at the Freeman Center for the final time in the regular season on Saturday and entertained the home crowd with an astonishing runaway victory. The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's basketball team capped an undefeated run at home and improved to 22-1 overall this season wih a 78-44 victory against Penn State Harrisburg (15-8) on Saturday afternoon. 

A group of six seniors -- Hannah Kaloi, Alexia Lindsey, Camille Malagar, Hannah Orloff, Gabbi San Diego, and Sydney Sherman -- were honored in a pregame ceremony alongside team manager Joely Morgan and CNUsports.com/watch broadcaster Noah Shubert. After the win, the group celebrated becoming just the second class in CNU Women's Basketball history to sweep the regular season home games during their careers, improving to 40-0. 

The matchup featured the patented Captains Chaos defense as Christopher Newport held Penn State Harrisburg to just 16 points over the first three quarters. CNU forced 30 turnovers and grabbed 15 steals in the game while allowing the Lions to connect on just 27.5 percent (14-51) from the floor in the game. Prior to a fourth quarter, CNU allowed just five made field goals on 31 attempts from the field. 

While the defense was suffocating the Penn State Harrisburg attack, the senior class anchored another well-balanced offensive outing. Hannah Orloff scored a game-high 15 points while missing just one attempt from the field (7-8). Camille Malagar also finished in double figures with 13 points (5-8) as the duo headlined a group of 13 Captains that got into the scoring column. 

Facilitating the fast-paced offense was Gabbi San Diego, who registered one of her finest career outings at the point. The fifth-year star from Lorton, Va. dished nine assists with only one turnover. With her impressive showing, San Diego moved past a three-way tie between Chelsie Schweers, Zhara Tannor, and Makenzie Fancher for seventh all-time and now has 348 career assists. The Captains finished the game with 24 helpers as senior Alexia Lindsey added three. 

Graduate transfer Sydney Sherman and Orloff each hauled in six rebounds in the game while Hannah Kaloi made a triumphant return to the lineup with six points, four rebounds, and two steals. Kaloi has not played since December 18, missing the last 11 contests for the Captains. 

Beyond the senior send off, the Captains also got nine points from Madison McKenzie with a pair of three-pointers and a perfect 3-for-3 trip to the line after being fouled on a third attempt from beyond the arc. Caitlin Crump also hit a pair from beyond the arc and added eight points in the game of the bench. 

The game started with a bang as the Captains won the first quarter by a 20-4 count while leaning on the pesky defensive pressure. CNU forced a pair of 10-second violations and ten total turnovers in the opening period while building the big lead. In the second quarter, the run would inflate to 37-10 before halftime when Camille Malagar buried a three-pointer after a nice pass from under the basket by Hannah Orloff. 

A dominating third quarter would wind up being the difference as CNU put away the Lions with a 23-6 total in the stanza. By the end of 30 minutes of action, CNU had built a 44-point lead, 60-16. Orloff knocked down back-to-back buckets to start the quarter on nice lob passes from Lindsey and San Diego. Then, on the run, San Diego served a perfect bounce pass to Lindsey for another dime on the left side of the floor. Sherman followed with a mid-range jumper and the Captains quickly were ahead by 31. 

The fourth quarter saw the Lions respond with a 9-0 run to start before San Diego took over again. First, she found Malagar on the wing for a wide-open three and then she called her own number the next time down the floor. After a shake and a shimmy, she lost her defender and got the crowd on their feet with a highlight-reel deuce. She added two more plays to the showcase when the 5-foot-1 point guard picked up her first block of the season when she caught All-American Jordan Carpenter on the way up for the rejection. Then, with just under three minutes remaining she ran the Captains' play to perfection and found Hannah Orloff all alone beyond the arc for a three. The first attempt from deep in Orloff's career fell true and send Freeman into a frenzy. The Captains led, 72-38, and closed out the home win. 

CNU improved to 12-0 at home this season and have logged the seventh longest home winning streak in program history. The Captains are also now 13-0 against Penn State Harrisburg, extending a streak that stretches back to the 2013-14 season. Overall, Christopher Newport has now won 15 in a row and will now close out the regular season on the road at Mary Washington (Feb 15) and Salisbury (Feb 20).