VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Christopher Newport fell behind by as many as 11 points in the second half Monday night at Virginia Wesleyan, but the Captains were able to storm back to beat the Marlins, 71-68. The non-conference triumph at the Batten Center improved CNU's record to 7-2, and the Captains now have an 11-day break for the holidays.

Senior Marcus Carter led the way for the second straight game, posting 19 points and nine rebounds. Carter tallied a dozen of his points in the second half. Fellow senior Aaron McFarland finished with 15 points, nine in the second stanza. Senior Spencer Marin was also in double figures with 12 points, eight coming after the intermission.

Christopher Newport led by as many as seven in the first half, 19-12, but the Marlins stayed close, cutting the lead to one at the break, 26-25. Virginia Wesleyan then took control and built a double-digit lead at 40-30 and later in the second half went up by 11, 51-40. John Krikorian's squad proceeded to go on a 31-17 run to end the game.

"We felt pretty good heading into halftime," Krikorian said. "But they really turned up their aggressiveness in the second half and jumped on us. We were really disjointed at times and made a lot of mistakes...but this team shows great resilience," Krikorian continued. "It all starts with the seniors and it resonates through the whole team. They're a lot of fun to coach, and there's a great spirit to this group, even down ten or 11, they keep battling."

The game featured a total of 18 lead changes and was tied eight times. Sophomore Savonte Chappell scored all of his eight points after halftime, and freshman Adrian Beasley registered nine points and no turnovers in 20 minutes of playing time. CNU out-rebounded VWU, 44-37, and the Captains have now won the battle of the boards in all nine of their games this season. Christopher Newport committed only four turnovers in the second stanza, and 12 for the game.

Virginia Wesleyan is now 8-2 heading into the holiday break. The Marlins were led by sophomore Percy Burt and freshman Tyree Golston, who each recorded 18 points. VWU was hurt by poor foul shooting, as the Marlins connected on just six of 14 attempts from the charity stripe.

The victory, in the 85th meeting of the schools on the hardwood, was the third straight for the Captains over the Marlins, and CNU now holds a 49-36 lead in the all-time series.
Christopher Newport returns to action on Friday, December 29th, hosting Shenandoah in the opening round of the Captains Shootout. Game time at the Freeman Center is set for 7:30 p.m.