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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- As both CNU basketball teams charge into the second half of the regular season, the number of home games left on the schedule begins to wane; and with just five home dates left before the postseason, Saturday afternoon's twin bill against York College of Pennsylvania expects to be one of the hottest tickets remaining. The Christopher Newport women's basketball team has won seven straight and will face one of its stiffest challenges to date as they welcome in the second-place Spartans at 2:00 pm. Immediately following, the 13th-ranked Captains men will face a talented York squad that is locked in a six-team logjam in the middle of the CAC standings. 

Live stats and a live video webcast will be available of both contests, and the men's game will be broadcast live on the CNU/Pepsi Radio Network, Xtra 99.1 FM. 

The Capital Athletic Conference matchup figures to be a pivotal doubleheader in the standings as all four teams battle for spots in the 2015 CAC Tournament. The Spartans are one of just two teams in the league that Christopher Newport has not played at least once this season, and will cap the first tour through the league schedule next Wednesday at St. Mary's College of Maryland. But first, CNU takes on York in the Freeman Center on Saturday. 

The women's game will pit two teams on the brink of the nation's Top 25, as the Spartans were ranked 25th nationally at the start of the New Year, and CNU is receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Top 25 this week. Both teams are 12-2 overall this season with the Spartans holding a one-game edge over the Captains in league play with a 5-1 CAC record. The Captains improved to 4-2 in conference action on Wednesday when they powered past Mary Washington in the second half for a 58-48 win. 

CNU was led in that game by sophomore Sam Porter with the Captains' first double-double of the year, scoring 13 points and adding 10 rebounds. Rookie Jessica Daguilh also was a big factor in the third quarter as CNU took control, and finished the game with nine points and three rebounds. The defensive battle saw the Captains hold their third straight opponent to less than 50 points and their seventh foe this season to shoot under 30% from the floor. The team defense continues to impress, ranking ninth nationally in scoring defense by holding opponents to just 48.8 points per game. 

Coming into Saturday's contest, the Spartans also feature a strong defense, especially individually. Junior forward Sam Hruz is nationally ranked in blocked shots, steals and rebounding as she leads a York defense allowing just under 56 points per game. Under the direction of 19th-year head coach Betsy Witman, the Spartans won nine straight to start the year and checked into the USA Today Sports Coaches' Poll after going 11-1 through their first 12 games. Offensively, Hruz and sophomore Morgan Kuehne are each pouring in just over 12 points per game, while Hruz leads the team with 9.7 rebounds per contest. 

Tip for the men's game is tentatively scheduled for 4:00 pm on Saturday, and will immediately follow the conclusion of the women's game. The 13th-ranked Captains are off to a 13-1 start, tied for the second best mark in program history with the 1997-98 team that reached the NCAA Sweet 16 and finished with a 26-2 overall record. With the strong performance to start the year, head coach John Krikorian has elevated his all-time winning percentage at CNU to over 75% with a 115-38 record. The latest came by virtue of an 80-62 victory at Mary Washington in which the Captains burst out to a 15-0 start, and extended to 20-2 before eventually carrying a 26-point lead into halftime. 

Leading the way for the Captains in Fredericksburg was sophomore Marcus Carter, pouring in 19 points, while senior Hunter Wetherell added a career-high 18 points on an efficient 7-for-9 shooting. Leading scorer Aaron McFarland added 14 and junior forward Tim Daly registered his second double-double of the year with 13 points, 12 rebounds. McFarland, Carter and Daly have been leading the team offensively all season long and come into Saturday's contest averaging over 43 points per game combined. 

Daly and Wetherell, along with the other big men on CNU's roster, will have to contend with one of the top forwards in the conference as York junior Dalton Myers leads the Spartans into Newport News. Myers ranks second in the CAC in points per game, dropping 16.9 per contest on nearly 60% shooting. He ranks in the Top 40 nationally in field-goal percentage and leads the league by four full percentage points. Sophomore guard Matt Scamuffo is a solid complement for the Spartans as a strong three-point shooter averaging over 13 points per game on 40% from beyond the arc. 

The CAC doubleheader will tip off at 2:00 and 4:00 pm, with tickets available at the box office an hour before the first game.