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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- For Christopher Newport fans, it would be hard to set up a more thrilling and dramatic final day of the regular season than the Freeman Center expects to host on Saturday. The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport basketball teams will play host to Marymount University at 2:00 and 4:00 pm, with both games featuring a bit of flair to close out the 25-game regular season slate.

First, the women's game pits the two teams tied atop the Capital Athletic Conference standings against eachother and will serve as the Regular Season Championship Game. In a winner-takes-all matchup, the Captains (22-2, 15-2) will take on one of only two teams to defeat them this season in Marymount (20-4, 15-2). The Saints edged the Captains, 49-44, in Arlington back on December 5, marking the last time CNU suffered a setback.

Christopher Newport, ranked 16th in the D3hoops.com Top 25 and 17th in the WBCA Coaches' Poll, is riding a 17-game winning streak since that loss, coming into the first-place showdown unbeaten in 2016. The Captains have been led by sophomore Sam Porter with 10.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, with fellow forward Devon Byrd also pouring in 9.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. In the last few games, a group of freshmen have stepped up, as Jessica Daguilh scored 20 at York (Pa.) and Brooke Basinger added 17 in a come-from-behind win over St. Mary's (Md.). Rookie guard Zhara Tannor has also been exceptional off the bench and is coming off a seven-steal performance imperative to CNU's victory on Wednesday night. 

The Saints have led the CAC standings from start to finish this year, but risk losing the right to a first-round bye if they lose on Saturday. One of the most veteran rosters in the CAC, Marymount will come into Newport News with a sense of urgency and fully capable of a victory against the talented young Captains squad. The Saints feature one of the toughest defensive units in the nation, ranking fourth nationally in scoring defense. Marymount is holding opponents to just 45.9 points per game this season. 

Christopher Newport leads the league in steals per game, but Kievanna Lacey and Leah Hurst lead the way for the team ranked second. Lacey is also the team's second leading scorer at over 13 points per game, while Nicole Viscuso leads the team with 14.3 points per game. 

Following the pivotal CAC women's game, the 5th-ranked Christopher Newport men will be looking to make league history in their contest. The Captains (23-1, 17-0) will face the Saints (10-14, 7-10), who will likely need a win to remain in contention for a spot in the CAC Tournament. Meanwhile, CNU has the chance to become just the second team in CAC history to post a perfect conference record while also hoping to add to the league mark for total conference wins set on Wednesday. 

The CNU men have run off 14 straight victories and have yet to suffer a loss since the calendar turned to 2016. The team has been led by sophomore Marcus Carter (15.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and junior Tim Daly (14.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg), while sophomore Aaron McFarland is adding 14.0 points per game as well. Carter is among the league leaders in field goal percentage, knocking down 56.2% of his shots this year. 

Marymount comes into the game after suffering a 68-58 loss to the Captains at home back on December 5. Four Saints are averaging double figures this season, led by senior Danny Ferry with 13.3 points per game. 

Saturday's matchups will serve as Senior Day for both teams as five student-athletes will be honored in a special pre-game ceremony. On the women's side it's Madison Bloxom and manager Tonya Harris, and prior to the men's game, Connor Laframboise, Hunter Wetherell and Ben Watkins. 

The game will also be an Alzheimer's Awareness Game, as the CNU chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity will be in attendance to promote Alzheimer's awareness. 

Live stats and a live video webcast will be available at CNUsports.com/live -- the men's game will also be available on the CNU/Pepsi Radio Network on Xtra 99.1 FM.