CNU Women's Basketball Game Notes
CNU Men's Basketball Game Notes

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The regular season has reached the halfway point for Christopher Newport basketball, punctuated by a Capital Athletic Conference doubleheader on Saturday as the Captains host Wesley College at 2:00 and 4:00 pm. The 13th-ranked CNU men's team will host the second game of a twin bill at the Freeman Center in Newport News, with live stats and a live video webcast available at CNUsports.com/live. 

Prior to the men's tip-off, the Christopher Newport women's team will put their 10-2 overall record on the line while facing the Wesley women, off to a 2-9 start this year. The Captains are riding their second five-game winning streak of the year and will look to make it a season-long six games against the Wolverines. CNU and Wesley has matched up eight times prior to Saturday, with the Captains capturing the win in all eight. 

This season, CNU is 3-2 in conference play while the Wolverines are 1-4. The Captains are coming off a win at Penn State Harrisburg, in which the team erased an ugly first half with one of the finest halves of the season, shooting 68% and piling up 54 total points against the Lions. Leading the second half charge was sophomore Devon Byrd, with eight quick points in the third quarter, and rookie Jessica Daguilh, who finished with a career-high 13 points in the game. 

As a team, the Captains defense shined again, and continues to climb the national rankings as one of the toughest groups in the country. CNU ranks second nationally in total steals and fourth in scoring margin. The league's top offense, averaging 74.5 points per game is allowing just 49.4 points per game, ranked third in the CAC. 

The Wesley women are led by one of the league's most dynamic threats inside as senior Brionna Johnson ranks second in the CAC in rebounding and among the top 15 in scoring. She is second on the team in points per game to only sophomore Tiyanna Gibbs, who is leading the team with 12.8 points per game. The Wolverines won their season opener against Southern Virginia before dropping nine of their next ten. 

Tip is scheduled for 2:00 pm between the women's teams. 

Immediately following the women's game, the Wesley men will look to hand the Captains their first CAC loss of the season as CNU puts its sterling 5-0 league record up against the Wolverines at 1-4. Overall, the nationally-ranked CNU men are off to an 11-1 start while the Wesley men, under the direction of first year head coach Dean Burrows, are 3-9. Christopher Newport holds a 12-4 advantage in the all-time series. 

As the Captains approach the midpoint of the season, they have matched the second-best start through 12 games in program history and are 11-1 for the first time since 2001-02. Leading the charge has been the Captains' first man off the bench, sophomore Aaron McFarland, who ranks second in the CAC in scoring with 16.6 points per game. The second-year guard is coming off another 20-point effort on Wednesday at Penn State Harrisburg, when he finished with 25 points against the Lions. 

Sophomore Marcus Carter (15.1 ppg) and junior Tim Daly (10.7 ppg) are also averaging double figures for the potent CNU offense, but it is the team defense that continues to make headlines for the Captains. Only one opponent has scored as many as 70 points against the vaunted CNU defense, ranking fourth in the nation with an average of just 59.3 points allowed per game. Opponents are hitting just 37.5% from the field this season, ranking ninth nationally, as the Captains team defense has been suffocating. 

Wesley will have to deal with that tough defense with a young roster that features just two seniors, but boasts four players averaging double figures this year. The Wolverines had Mary Washington on the ropes on Wednesday at home, but suffered a buzzer-beating setback to fall to 1-4 in league play. Sophomore guard J.W. Lawson leads the offense with 16.0 points per game while the two seniors, Anthony Bowers (14.3) and Wayne Lennon (11.2) are also averaging double figures. 

Tip is scheduled for 4:00 pm or immediately following the women's game. The game will be broadcast live on the CNU/Pepsi Radio Network at Xtra 99.1 FM.