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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Led by tournament MVP Conley Taylor, the Christopher Newport University Captains improved to 8-3 on the season with a win over McDaniel College (3-7) in today's Captains Shootout Championship game. Taylor scored a game-high 19 points to finish with 43 in the two-day holiday tournament, securing most valuable player honors.

Joining Taylor on the All-Tournament team was teammate Tra Benefield, McDaniel's Cullen Murray-Kemp, Worcester State's Frank Stephenson, and Piedmont's Tyler Arnold. Stephenson scored 34 points in the Lancers win over Piedmont to set the tournament scoring record for a game.

In the championship game, the Captains used an impressive defensive showing in the first half to earn a big lead at the break, and held on in the second half for the win. CNU held the Green Terror to just 19.2% shooting in the first half, and just five made field goals (5-26). McDaniel turned the ball over eight times in the frame, as CNU raced out to a 36-15 halftime lead.

Offensively, Taylor scored 16 of his 19 points in the first half, while also grabbing three rebounds. Junior forward Luc Atangana had six points, four rebounds and a pair of assists in the first half for CNU. The Captains shot 56% from the field in the first half on 14-of-25 shooting.

CNU made the lead a game-high 24 early in the second half on a three-pointer from freshman Mike Cherry, pushing the lead to 39-15. McDaniel actually outscored CNU in the second half, 31-28, but could not overcome the shooting woes as the Captains held on for the 18-point win, 64-46.

Eight different players scored at least three points for the Captains in the game, led by Taylor's 19. Benefield struggled from the field and finished with just four points, but filled the stat sheet elsewhere, with five rebounds, two assists, three blocks and two steals. Cherry finished with 10 points while Atangana added eight points and eight rebounds.

The Green Terror was led by Louis Sarris-Grau with a double-double, scoring 11 points and added 10 rebounds. Andrew Merlo hit a pair of three's and finished with a team-high 12 points.

CNU will now hit the road for a tough conference opening swing as the USA South season gets under way. The Captains will travel to Methodist University on January 4 for a 7:00 pm tip, followed by a 4:00 pm game at pre-season favorite N.C. Wesleyan on January 7.