Game Notes: CNU Men's Basketball  ||  CNU Women's Basketball

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Christopher Newport basketball teams are headed back on the road this weekend, traveling to Marymount University for a pair of important conference matchups. The men's game will break a two-way tie atop the standings as the Captains (11-3, 6-1) and Saints (12-2, 6-1) battle for the top spot at 4:00 pm. That game will immediately follow a 2:00 pm tilt between the CNU women, carrying a 10-4 overall record, 6-1 in league play, into a game against Marymount, with a 9-5 overall mark and 5-2 record against the CAC.

Both games will be pivotal matchups as the second half of the conference season begins next week with postseason berths and positioning for seeding likely coming down to the final games of the regular season. Last season, the women split with Marymount as the home team won both games, and the men swept the Saints, including a dramatic three-point win in the regular season finale. 

This season, the Saints men's program has been off to a torrid start, winning 12 of 14 games with their two losses coming by a combined score of nine points. A two-point road setback to Mary Washington remains the team's only conference loss, and Marymount is coming off a thrilling 60-56 win at Salisbury on Wednesday night. An impressive three-point shooting team, Saturday's matchup will feature the league's leading team from long-range in percentage versus the Captains, leading the league in total makes from beyond the arc. 

A veteran group, Marymount starts three seniors including their two leading scorers, Jesse Konadu and J.C. Hoellich. Konadu is shooting 49% from the floor with a team-leading 14.9 points per game, while Hoellich adds a team-high 8.3 rebounds to go with his 11.8 points per game. 

On the Captains' side of things, the visitors will be looking to run their win streak to seven games with the tough matchup on the road. CNU's last setback came to Salisbury, who Marymount just defeated on Wednesday, but as the calendar turned to 2015, the Captains offense has responded to the tune of nearly 80 points per game. The six-game winning streak continued on Wednesday as CNU held off St. Mary's (Md.) in a hard-fought home win, 66-58. 

Three players are in double figures for CNU this season, as senior Mike Cherry (12.0 ppg) joins rookie Marcus Carter (15.6 ppg) and sophomore Tim Daly (15.3 ppg) as the leading scorers. Daly and Carter are also the top rebounders for CNU, while Cherry leads the team in assists, with 33. 

Before the battle for first place on the men's side, another key face-off will come in the women's game at 2:00 pm. CNU holds a one-game edge on the Saints after Marymount suffered a 13-point loss to first-place Salisbury University on Wednesday. 

The Saints are a small team in 2014-15, running only eight players deep so far this season, as all five starters are averaging over 25 minutes per game. Still, Marymount has been able to overcome that disadvantage by relying on a veteran core including juniors Kievanna Lacey and Miranda Krott. Lacey and Krott lead a team that grinds it out defensively, and holds opponents to just 53.1 points per game. On the other hand, the Captains carry in the league's top scoring offense, averaging 73.5 points per game. 

CNU has turned to senior Camry Green all season long, posting ten double-doubles in the first 14 games and averaging a team-high 13.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. Contrasting Marymount, the Captains have a very deep team that will run ten players on the court for double digit minutes, including six first-year players. As for the CNU veterans, juniors Kendra Stone and Jordan Miller have started all 14 games and are combining for 15.2 points and nearly eight rebounds per game. 

Both games will be played at the Verizon Sports Arena on the campus of Marymount University. Live stats will be available, hosted by Marymount University, and a live video webcast can be found at CNUsports.com/live. The men's contest will also be broadcast live on the CNU/Pepsi Radio Network, by Xtra 99.1 FM.