NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- League play has begun to heat up in the Capital Athletic Conference, with six different programs earning votes in this week's D3hoops.com National Rankings, including both Christopher Newport basketball teams. The Captains will face a very talented pair in a doubleheader on Wednesday, as CNU travels to the University of Mary Washington for mid-week conference action. The women's game is set to tip-off at 6:00 pm, followed by the men at 8:00 pm.

Live stats and a live video webcast will be available from the William M. Anderson Center in Fredericksburg, Va., with links found at CNUsports.com.

This week, the Captains men's basketball team was edged out of the Top 25 nationally, ranked as the first team in the "others receiving votes" category. The CNU men dropped a pair of games to league foes Wesley and Penn State Harrisburg to fall to 10-3 on the season, 3-2 in league play. Christopher Newport, who was ranked 14th nationally before the two setbacks, was off to a hot start with 10 wins in their first 11 games, led by preseason All-American Tra Benefield.

CNU owns an 18-4 advantage in the all-time series, dating back to the 1977-78 season. This will be the first time the two battle as league foes, as head coach John Krikorian looks to improve on his 1-2 mark against the Eagles all time.

The matchup will feature the league's top two leading scorers, as Benefield's 17.8 ppg leads CNU and UMW's Bradley Riester is pouring in 20.3 ppg so far this season. At the time of the last NCAA statistical rankings, Riester was among the nation's top three-point shooters, ranking fourth nationally in treys made per game (3.92) and third overall in total three's made (47). With five more three-pointers hit in the Eagles' last contest, he is now averaging an impressive 4.0 per game. He was named CAC Player of the Week for a second straight time for his effort.

Riester headlines a talented group of UMW players that tied the best start in program history and are ranked 20th nationally coming into the game. With an 11-2 overall mark, the Eagles suffered their first conference loss to Wesley, by one point on Saturday. The senior is joined in double figure scoring by teammates Taylor Johnson (14.7 ppg) and Dylan Farinet (13.8 ppg). The sharp-shooting Eagles are hitting 39% from beyond the arc, ranked in the top 20 nationally as a team.

On the women's side, fans will likely be served with a healthy dose of defense as the two teams battle for the first time as conference opponents. The host Eagles will be looking to take down the Captains, ranked 19th nationally this week by the USA TODAY Sports Division III Coaches Poll, who have won six straight games. Christopher Newport is 11-2 on the season with a 4-1 mark against conference opponents, tied for second in the CAC standings. A win for Mary Washington would move the women to within a game of CNU in the standings, off to a 9-4 start, 3-3 in the CAC.

Both teams are holding opponents down defensively, and Mary Washington owns a league-best 51.4 opponents points per game average. The Captains are third, holding their foes to just 60.2 points per game, and both teams are holding their opponents to less than 37% shooting on the season. Last season, the defensive battle saw CNU come out on top, 51-40, and the year before the final scored was in favor of Mary Washington, 52-48.

Seniors Tia Perry and Nicole Mitchell have continued to lead CNU, as they have all season long. The pair both rank in the league's top four scorers, with Perry ranking second at 16.7 points per game. Mitchell, just six points shy of 1,000 for her career, has been on a hot streak, averaging 17.6 points per game over the last eight games, including three 20-point games.

The Eagles have been led by senior Sam Partonen and freshman Brianne Comden. Both are averaging double figures so far for the Eagles, starting all 13 games. Comden is also hauling in 4.8 rebounds and adding a team-high 0.7 blocks per game in her rookie campaign. Junior forward Aubrey Howland leads the team in shooting percentage, and is dropping in 8.8 points per game.

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