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ARLINGTON, Va.- The Christopher Newport Men's Basketball squad held off Marymount Saturday, 59-56, in the regular season finale for both schools. The Captains finished the regular season with a mark of 17-8 overall and 9-7 in the Capital Athletic Conference.

CNU will be seeded fifth in the upcoming CAC Tournament, and will play at fourth-seeded Salisbury Tuesday evening in the quarterfinal round in Salisbury, MD.

Senior Tra Benefield was once again the deciding factor for the Captains on Saturday. Benefield posted 17 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Captains to the win at the Verizon Sports Arena. It was Benefield's second straight double-double following a 27 point-13 rebound performance vs. St. Mary's on Wednesday night. Benefield moved into fifth place on the CNU all-time scoring list Saturday, and has now scored 1,747 career points in 103 games.

The Captains and Saints were tied at the half, 31-31, and then went back and forth through the second half. The game featured seven lead changes and was tied 11 times.

Marymount opened a six-point lead with just over 11 minutes to play in the second half. CNU clawed its way back and opened up a seven-point advantage with 2:07 to go. From there, CNU did just enough to hang on.

"It seemed like we did everything we could to allow them back into it," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "We missed some foul shots and turned the ball over, but we still found a way to win. It's a good way to finish the season, and now we have to get ready to play a very good Salisbury team."

Freshman Tim Daly posted 15 points and seven rebounds in the triumph, the second this season for the Captains over the Saints. MU was led by senior Reed Scott, who scored 11 points on Senior Day. Marymount concludes the regular season with a record of 15-10 overall and 7-9 in the CAC. The Saints, who will be the sixth seed,  play at third-seeded St. Mary's Tuesday night in the other quarterfinal matchup.

CNU out-rebounded Marymount, 40-33, and both teams finished under 40 percent shooting for the day. The Captains made just five of 21 three-pointers, while MU was just four of 18 beyond the arc.

Christopher Newport now holds a 15-1 lead over Marymount in the all-time series, and the Captains were 17-1 this season when leading or tied at the half.

The Captains will play a Salisbury team Tuesday night that concluded the regular season Saturday with an 88-66 win at Frostburg State. CNU and Salisbury split their two games this season, with each team winning at home.