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NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- When it comes to conference action, games in December mean every bit as much as those in January and February. Wednesday night at the Freeman Center, the Christopher Newport men's and women's basketball squads host Salisbury in Capital Athletic Conference play. Although it may be early in the season, the games figure to be key matchups in the league's schedule.

Both CNU teams enter play with unblemished records. The men are 4-0 and ranked 21st in the country in the new national poll from D3hoops.com. The women are off to a 5-0 mark and are receiving votes in the national poll. Both Christopher Newport teams opened CAC play on Sunday with decisive victories over Frostburg State at the Freeman Center.

Salisbury's squads are also off to solid starts. The Sea Gulls men's team is 5-0 and ranked 17th in the country. The SU women are 3-1 so far and coming off a loss to Stevenson, the only loss any of the four teams playing Wednesday night has suffered this season.

That means the four squads meeting at the Freeman Center have posted a combined record of 17-1 in the month of November. As they begin December play, the Captains and Sea Gulls tangle with a chance to grab the early advantage in league play.

For the Christopher Newport men, defense has been the key early in the season. The Captains are holding their opponents to an average of just 55 points per game, as well as just 35 percent shooting from the field. CNU has out-rebounded its opponent in all four games, and the Captains have enjoyed great balance in each game. Sophomore Marcus Carter leads the group in scoring and rebounding (15.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game), but is far from the only standout. CNU's next top scorers actually come off the bench. Fellow sophomore Aaron McFarland is scoring 11.8 points per contest, and junior Tim Daly has averaged 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds.

This is the first 4-0 start for a CNU men's team since the 2004-2005 season, and the first for sixth-year head coach John Krikorian. CNU's first three wins came over schools from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (Lynchburg, Washington & Lee, and Randolph-Macon) prior to Sunday's 74-47 drubbing of Frostburg State.

The CNU women have become used to winning by big margins. Bill Broderick's squad has won its five games by an average score of 79-46. The Captains are coming off a 92-38 victory on Sunday over Frostburg State that saw them score the first 20 points of the game.

Balance has also been a key for the women's squad. Sophomore Sam Porter leads the team averaging 12.8 points per game. She also is bringing down 5.8 rebounds per tilt. Sophomore Anitra Thomas has come off the bench to average 12.5 points per outing. Fellow sophomore Jalynn Ponzo is scoring 9.8 points per game.

Wednesday's doubleheader will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the women's game. The men's game will follow at approximately 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the CAC twin bill will be available at the Freeman Center Ticket Office.

A live video broadcast will be available for both games at CNUsports.com/live. The men's game will also be broadcast live on the Christopher Newport/Pepsi Radio Network (Xtra 99.1 FM) with the pre-game show beginning at 7:10 p.m.