Saturday, February 15, 2025

No. 6 Captains Dominate Defensively in 300th Career Win for Head Coach Bill Broderick

(CNU Athletics)

NEWPORT NEWS — The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women’s basketball team put together a trademark victory on Wednesday night, locking down defensively and holding Virginia Wesleyan to single digits in three of the four quarters on route to a milestone win for head coach Bill Broderick. Earning his 300th career win at Christopher Newport, Broderick led the Captains to a 76-31 triumph against the cross-water rivals in the Freeman Center.

Broderick reached the 300-win plateau in just 346 career games, besting G.P. Gromacki by one game for the second fastest ascent to 300 victories in NCAA Division III history. With that pace, he is second only the Phillip Kahler who started his Division III tenure at St. John Fisher University with a 300-40 mark. Kahler had already compiled 249 wins in 12 seasons before the impressive record-setting run when the Cardinals joined Division III in 1986-87.

Broderick currently ranks ninth in winning percentage among women’s basketball coaches all-time at any NCAA level, surpassing the legendary Pat Summitt this season with a winning mark of 84.6 percent. He also currently ranks fourth among active Division III coaches behind only Brian Morehouse (Hope), Gromacki (Amherst), and Meg Barber (NYU). In just 12 seasons at Christopher Newport, he reached the milestone victory faster than any CNU coach in any sport and boasts the second-highest winning percentage in CNU Athletics history behind only women’s soccer guide Jamie Gunderson (.928; 79-2-9).

The historic victory was powered by another well-balanced team effort that featured a double-double by Hannah Orloff with 17 points and 10 rebounds and a near double-double by Elizabeth Creed with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Thirteen Captains got into the scoring column and the team dished 23 assists on 30 made baskets as the season-long trend of sharing the basketball continued against the Marlins.

But like many of the 299 previous wins, the victory was driven by defense. From the opening tip, the Captains made things difficult for the Virginia Wesleyan attack, holding the Marlins to just eight points in the first quarter on 22.2 percent (4-18) shooting. In the second quarter, things got even tougher, as the visitors managed just one made field goal and only three points to go into the locker room with only 11 points on the board. After the break, the Marlins managed four made field goals in the third quarter, but Orloff was 3-for-3 on her own to counter and CNU continued to build the lead. Finally, in the fourth, CNU clamped down again to allow just 20 percent (2-10) and only eight points in the period.

In total, CNU held Virginia Wesleyan to just 22.0 percent (11-50) shooting in the game. The Marlins were 0-for-6 from beyond the arc and also managed just 52.9 percent (9-17) from the free-throw line.

On the other end, Orloff carried the Captains efforts with a 7-for-9 shooting performance that led to her second double-double of the season. Creed stuffed the stat sheet as well, adding five assists, two blocks, and a steal in the game. Falling just shy of doule figures were Sarah Pritz and Mia Wilson, with nine points apiece, while Katerina Dakos added seven, McKenna Snively five, and Aliyah Elliott had four.

CNU recorded 20 or more assists for the third straight game and the fourth time in the last five games. Creed’s five were a team-high while Hailey Kellogg, Alexia Lindsey, Charlotte Torgerson, and Gabbi San Diego each chipped in three to show off their passing prowess.

The lead grew to as many as 47 points in the fourth quarter before the Captains closed out a 45-point win at home. In addition to improving to 300-46 in his career, CNU is also 135-12 (.918) in the Freeman Center under coach Broderick. That includes a record of 101-2 in his last 103 home regular season games dating back to early in the 2019-20 season.

The Captains will close out a four-game homestand on Saturday, January 25 as they host Mary Washington at 2:00 p.m.

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