NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- Christopher Newport and Mary Washington staged a defensive struggle Wednesday night at the Freeman Center, with the Captains hanging on to win, 53-49. The hard-fought victory improved CNU's record to 12-4 overall and 7-2 in the Capital Athletic Conference.

"I called this one," Head Coach John Krikorian said following the triumph. "I really thought it would be this kind of game, low scoring with two solid defenses. They're much bigger than we are, and they're playing really well right now. We expected a slugfest, and that's what we got."

The lead changed hands ten times in the battle, but Mary Washington never led by more than one point. CNU owned an eight-point edge twice in the opening half, but the Eagles stormed back and evened the game at halftime, 25-25. The teams then returned from the intermission and went back-and-forth through the second stanza.

The Captains struggled from long range, making just six three-pointers on 29 attempts, but freshman Aaron McFarland knocked down a key triple with just over a minute to play to help put the game in the win column.

Sophomore Tim Daly posted 13 points and nine rebounds to lead the way for Christopher Newport, despite playing just 28 minutes due to foul trouble. Daly sat on the bench after picking up his third foul in the second half, but returned and continued to play a key role for CNU.

"They were really collapsing on Tim inside and making it tough for him," Krikorian said. "When I put him back in I just looked at him and said, 'Let's win this thing,'."

McFarland, who made the first start of his career, scored 11 points, with all coming in the second half.

"Aaron's three-pointer with a minute to play was huge," Krikorian continued. "I thought he would give us an edge and he really was the difference in the second half."

Freshman Marcus Carter and senior Mike Cherry both registered eight points, as the Captains improved their home record to 8-1 this season.

CNU was strong on the boards, out-rebounding Mary Washington, 40-30. The Captains out-scored the Eagles in the paint, 28-18, and recorded 16 offensive rebounds.

Mary Washington, now 3-13 overall and 3-6 in the CAC, was led by sophomore John Lutkenhaus, who scored 11 points off the bench. Senior Taylor Johnson added nine points and 11 rebounds. The Eagles, who were 0-10 to start the season, had won three of their last five, and had a two-game winning streak snapped.

CNU now leads the all-time series with Mary Washington, 20-6. The teams last met in the Championship of the Capital Athletic Conference in Fredericksburg last season, and they will meet again there on February 11th.

Christopher Newport returns to action on Saturday, hosting Frostburg State. Tipoff time is set for 4:00 p.m. at the Freeman Center.