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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport basketball teams continue to ascend the national rankings, including a return to the top five for the CNU men's team, now ranked No. 4 in the country. The CNU women, off to a 13-0 start, are now up to No. 6 nationally, and will kick off a conference doubleheader against St. Mary's College of Maryland on Wednesday evening. The nationally-ranked Captains will tip off against the Seahawks at 5:30, with the men's matchup set for a tentative 7:30 start.
The CNU basketball teams boast the second best combined record in the nation, winning 24 of 26 games played this season; only Whitman College (26-0) has put together a finer start to the 2016-17 on the hardwood. Christopher Newport is also one of only three schools in the nation to have both teams ranked in the Top 10 at this point in the season, joining Tufts and Amherst among the country's elite.
On Wednesday night, the sixth-ranked CNU women will put their pristine 13-0 start on the line against St. Mary's (4-9, 2-4) in conference action. Kicking off the second half of the regular season, the Captains will look to continue what has been a dominant defensive season. In the first 13 games of the season, the Captains have allowed more than 51 points only twice, and have won 11 games by double figures. The scoring defense ranks in the Top 30 nationally (50.8 ppg) and scoring margin is the fourth best mark in the country (+25.8).
In their last game, the Captains snuck by Marymount University on the road, 54-51, led by 12 points apiece from Sam Porter, Jessica Daguilh, and Makenzie Fancher. It was the fourth straight game that Porter was among the team's leading scorers as the first team All-Conference forward continues to lead the Captains in scoring (12.1 ppg) and rebounding (7.9 rpg).
The St. Mary's women have dropped four of their last five games, but are coming off a road win against Wesley in their last contest, 55-52. The Seahawks are led by a pair of veteran players, including the league's leader in double-doubles, senior Nina Haller. Haller is averaging 12.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, while junior Kerri Kline is adding over 12 points per game as well.
Following the women's battle, the CNU men will tip against the St. Mary's men at approximately 7:30 pm. The Captains have opened the season with a 11-2 overall record, including a 5-1 mark in CAC action. St. Mary's comes into the Freeman Center with a 7-6 overall record, including a 2-4 mark against the league. The Seahawks are wrapping up a five-game stretch away from home, in which the team has gone 1-3 heading into Wednesday.
After a pair of 20-point performances in the last three games, junior
Aaron McFarland has taken over as the team's leading scorer. McFarland scored 27 points on New Year's Day against Virginia Wesleyan, and added 21 in a win at Marymount in CNU's last action on Sunday. The sharpshooter has knocked down 14 of his 26 attempts from long range in the last four games, and is now averaging a team-best 12.0 points per game. Junior
Marcus Carter is second on the team, with 11.5 points per game, and is just seven points shy of 1,000 for his career.
The CNU defense ranks second in the nation in both field goal percentage defense (.353) and scoring defense (56.3); the Captains have won five straight on the strength of that defense, outscoring opponents by an average of over 26 points per game in that stretch.
St. Mary's boasts one of the league's top players in All-Conference junior guard Delaszo Smith, averaging 14 points per game. Fellow junior Ochae Bynum leads the team with 14.2 points per game, creating one of the league's top backcourt duos. St. Mary's leads the Capital Athletic Conference in scoring, pouring in 76.9 points per game.
Live stats and live video will be available for both games at CNUsports.com/live. The Freeman Center box office will be open starting at 9:00 am on Wednesday and the gates will be open at 4:30 pm.
