NORFOLK, Va. – In another thrilling chapter in the long-storied rivalry with the Virginia Wesleyan Marlins, the 13^th-ranked Captains hung on Sunday to remain undefeated with a 64-61 win at the Batten Center. CNU answered a second-half rally by the 12^th-ranked Marlins, improving to 7-0 for the first time since the 2000-01 season.

"It's what we always expect when we play Virginia Wesleyan," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "These games have a way of going down to the wire and the last team with the ball wins. Today, they had a shot to tie and missed a three and we got the win. It was a battle and we persevered."
 
In a game that was never separated by more than seven points, both teams battled from beginning to end. The Captains earned the win in the Top 25 showdown after falling behind by five in the second half, 55-50, but rallying late for the win over their cross-water rivals.

"That was a critical stretch for us in the second half," Krikorian continued. "We had lost the momentum, but Rayshard Brown hit a big three-pointer and then Tim Daly had a nice stick-back and we were able to get it going again."

Sophomore Aaron McFarland led the way in scoring for the third straight game for the Captains, posting 15 points. Junior Rayshard Brown registered a career-high 14 and junior Tim Daly scored ten and recorded a team-high nine rebounds.
 
It was clear from early in the first half the two teams were going to be tangled in a back-and-forth affair. With five lead changes in the first 10:44 of action, neither team was able to create distance. In the last of those five early lead changes, CNU's Marcus Carter found Rayshard Brown open in the corner for a three-pointer with 9:16 to go in the half, giving CNU a 19-18 lead. On the next possession, Brown crossed over and stepped back for a pretty 18-foot jumper that just beat the shot clock buzzer.
 
The tight matchup would continue as the Marlins wouldn't let CNU pull away, picking up two tough layups by leading scorer Khory Moore after a pair of turnovers to re-take the lead, 24-23. That would be the last lead of the half for the Marlins, however, as the Captains answered right back with buckets from Carter and Aaron McFarland. The home team clawed back to tie, 29-29, but CNU scored the last four points to take a 33-29 advantage into the locker room.
 
The Captains shot over 56% from the field in the first stanza, knocking down 13-of-23 shots, but turnovers limited offensive chances for CNU with 11 giveaways. The CNU defense continued its stellar start to the season by holding Virginia Wesleyan to just 31.3% shooting in the first 20 minutes, on 10-of-32 shooting.
 
Carter led the way offensively in the first half, going 3-for-4 from the field and the free-throw line for a team-high nine points to go with four rebounds, a block and a steal. Brown added seven points, including one of two made three-pointers for CNU in the opening half.
 
On the other end of the floor, point guard Tim Jones surpassed his season scoring average of nine with 12 points in the first half. He was 4-for-6 from the field and added three steals and a pair of assists to lead the way for the Marlins.
 
Within the first three minutes of the second half, the Captains matched their largest lead of the first half, taking a 39-34 advantage as senior Hunter Wetherell picked up two early baskets. Brendon Burrows added a nice put-back and picked up a big charge on the other end as CNU looked to extend. A nice second effort by the Captains found Justin Hampton open under the basket to give CNU its largest lead of the game, 41-34, but back-to-back jumpers by the Marlins cut the lead back to three, 41-38.
 
The intensity grew over the next several minutes with big chances on both ends of the floor. After the Captains pulled back ahead by seven, 45-38, the Marlins nearly tied things up after a 5-0 run followed by a wild series on the offensive end. After a basket, Tim Daly was called for a foul after making contact with a VWC defender on the inbounds pass. Then, CNU made a great defensive play, but turned the ball over stepping out of bounds and were forced to defend again. On their third chance, CNU forced another miss and came away with the ball.
 
Neither team connected for several minutes with CNU leading 45-43, until Jones continued his stellar day for the Marlins with a jumper from just inside the paint. After tying the game at 45 for the first time of the second half, the Captains answered with a three-pointer from McFarland to re-take the lead. Then, the crowd erupted on the other end when Nick Doyle gave the home team its first lead of the half with a three from the corner. Doyle then put the Marlins up 51-48 on a reverse layup with just over seven minutes remaining. It capped a 17-7 run for the home team to retake the lead.
 
With the momentum shifting in favor of the Marlins, Doyle hit another three-pointer to give the Marlins a game-high 55-50 lead. On the other end, the Captains missed a layup, but got a big second chance opportunity and found Brown open in the corner for a triple to cut the lead back to two, 55-53. Offensive rebounding was key in the second half, as both teams found big shots on second chances, including a putback by Tim Daly on the Captains' next possession, tying the game, 55-55. A second chance on the other end sent Daevon Brown to the line for two shots, giving Virginia Wesleyan a two-point edge again, 57-55.
 
For a moment, the Captains were back on top with a three-pointer from Justin Hampton, but Khory Moore answered with an open shot from the wing, taking a 60-58 lead. Another free-throw by Brown gave the home team a three-point edge with three minutes to go. That's when the Captains took over.
 
A highlight-reel layup by Aaron McFarland cut the lead to one, 61-60, and the Captains came away with a stop on the other end giving them a chance to re-take the lead.  McFarland was fouled and drilled both free-throws in the one-and-one situation, putting CNU back in front, 62-61. Jones missed a shot on the other end and Tim Daly picked up a key rebound. On the other end, Brown knifed through the lane and dropped in a layup to give CNU a 64-61 lead with just over a minute remaining. The bucket gave the CNU junior guard a career-high 14 points.
 
After a timeout, the Marlins got a look for three by Doyle, but it rattled off the front iron. CNU couldn't extend on the other end and with just two seconds separating the shot clock from the play clock, the Marlins would call a timeout to design a final play.  They looked to leading scorer Khory Moore, who launched a 28-footer that missed and sealed the win for CNU.
 
Brown finished the day with 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting, adding four steals and a pair of three-pointers. McFarland led the Captains with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, adding four assists and three rebounds. Daly finished just one rebound shy of his second straight double-double, pouring in 10 points with nine boards.
 
Jones had a game-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting for the Marlins, while Moore and Doyle each had 14 points in the game.
 
The CNU defense continued its stout effort through the final whistle, holding the home team to just 32.8% shooting (20-61). The Captains shot 49% from the field, knocking down 25-of-51 total attempts.
 
CNU improves to 47-36 all-time in the series against the Marlins and avenge a one-point overtime loss at home last season.
 
The Captains will return to action on Wednesday as they travel to Penn State-Greensburg for a 4:00 pm tip. Live video will be available at CNUsports.com/live and the game will be broadcast on the CNU/Pepsi Radio Network at Xtra 99.1 FM, with the pre-game show starting at 3:40 p.m..