MIDDLETOWN, PA.- Christopher Newport survived a second-half comeback effort and defeated Penn State-Harrisburg Wednesday night, 77-65. The Captains, now 11-1 and 5-0 atop the Capital Athletic Conference, were led by 25 points from sophomore Aaron McFarland.

CNU led by 13 at the half, 39-26, and increased the advantage to 14 early in the second half before a surge by the Lions that cut the lead all the way to three, 52-49, with just over eight minutes to play. The Captains were able to regain momentum and ended the game by out-scoring the Lions, 25-16.

"That was a good battle, a lot of fun," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "I'm not sure how we did it, but we kept working and got it done. Penn State-Harrisburg is a tough team with a lot of great athletes. We were on the verge when they cut it to three, but we got rolling again and found a way."

The Captains sealed the win thanks to tremendous foul shooting. CNU went to the line 41 times in the foul-filled battle, and made 35 shots.

Christopher Newport, ranked 13th in the nation this week, used a 31-19 run in the first half to open the 13-point halftime lead. Penn State-Harrisburg, now 8-4 overall and 3-2 in the CAC, answered with an 18-7 run in the second half to cut the lead to three, the closest they could get.

McFarland, a sophomore from Richmond, scored 12 points in the opening half and added 13 more in the second stanza. He knocked down his first nine free throws before missing to finish nine of ten for the night.

Fellow sophomore, Marcus Carter, tallied 15 points with nine coming in the first half. Junior Kevin Regimbal was also in double figures with 14 points.

"The fact that we were able to out-rebound them is a big one," Krikorian continued. "They're a good rebounding team, and that was one of our key goals in this game." The Captains out-rebounded the Lions, 32-25.

A total of 54 fouls were called in the battle for first place. Three technical fouls were also handed out in the first half when play got chippy.

The loss was Penn State-Harrisburg's first at home this season after winning its first five home games. Junior guard Jourdon Wilson led the Lions with 13 points.

The Captains now hold a two-game lead in the CAC standings following Wednesday's play. CNU also now holds a 4-1 lead in the all-time series with the Lions. The teams will meet again at the Freeman Center on January 30th.

CNU will host Wesley on Saturday at the Freeman Center. Tipoff time for the CAC battle is set for 4:00 p.m.