NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport and Salisbury staged another dramatic battle Wednesday night, with the Captains emerging with a two-point victory in the first-place showdown in the Capital Athletic Conference. CNU, ranked third in the nation, trailed for most of the night before coming from behind in the final minutes to edge the 12th-ranked Sea Gulls, 55-53.

The Captains improved to 16-2 overall and 10-1 atop the CAC. The triumph was the tenth straight for the Captains, and marked the 21st straight victory at the Freeman Center dating back to December of 2015.

"That was just so much fun to be a part of," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "Every game with Salisbury is such a struggle, they defend so well there are just no easy buckets. I'm so proud of my guys...they kept working and finally good things started to happen."

CNU jumped out to a 5-0 lead only to see the Sea Gulls reel off the next 12 points. Salisbury led the rest of the first half, and took a 27-21 lead to the locker room at intermission.

"I told them at halftime we just needed to keep doing what we were doing and eventually shots would start to fall," Krikorian continued. The Captains made just eight of 25 attempts in the opening half for 32 percent shooting.

Salisbury, now 14-4 overall and 9-2 in the CAC, maintained the lead until the Captains finally pulled even on a Rayshard Brown free throw, 45-45, with 2:48 to play. After the Gulls re-claimed the lead, junior Marcus Carter knocked down a three-pointer with just under two minutes to go to give the Captains their first lead since the early 5-2 advantage.

The Sea Gulls would not go quietly, jumping back ahead, 49-48, and then pulling even at 51-51 and 53-53 in the final minute. Brown completed a three-point play to give the Captains a 51-49 edge, and then junior Aaron McFarland drained two free throws with 39.8 seconds remaining to put the Captains ahead, 53-51.

Salisbury senior Wyatt Smith, who finished the game with a team-high 17 points, scored his final two on free throws with 14 seconds left to even the battle at 53-53, setting up the Captains final possession for a chance to win.

Brown drove the lane and was blocked by Smith with five seconds to play, but Carter controlled the rebound and was fouled. With 2.9 seconds on the clock, Carter sank the deciding two free throws to give the Captains the 55-53 win.

Salisbury, who had beaten CNU on December 17th on a last-second half-court shot in Salisbury, Md., could not manage to get off a shot in the final seconds securing the CNU victory.

Senior Tim Daly led the CNU attack, finishing with 13 points and ten rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Daly made four of eight shots and also dished out three assists. Brown ended up with 13 points, with ten coming in the second stanza, and Carter posted ten points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.

Christopher Newport's defense, ranked second in the country in points allowed and opponent field goal percentage, held the Sea Gulls to just 30.5 percent shooting for the night. The Captains held a 39-37 advantage on the boards.

"We got great efforts from a lot of people, but Justin Hampton tonight may have played the best game ever without scoring a point," Krikorian continued. "Justin's defense was just terrific, and he really made it tough for them to get off shots."

CNU's 5-0 lead to start the game was the biggest lead of the night for the Captains. Salisbury led by as many as ten in the opening half, and the lead changed hands a total of four times with five ties in the battle.

CNU and Salisbury have now met 11 times since the Captains joined the CAC, and Christopher Newport has won six to Salisbury's five. The last four meetings have been decided by either one or two points, with two games last year going to overtime. Overall, CNU now leads the all-times series with Salisbury, 24-15.

The Captains, who have reeled off ten straight victories since returning from holiday break, host Penn State-Harrisburg Saturday at the Freeman Center. CNU Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will take place at halftime of Saturday's game. Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m. at the Freeman Center.

Highlights: