FROSTBURG, Md. - Christopher Newport bounced back from a 16-point first half deficit Saturday and defeated Frostburg State, 85-80, at Bobcat Arena. Senior Aaron McFarland led the way with 21 points as CNU improved to 13-4 overall and 7-3 in the Capital Athletic Conference.

The Captains trailed the Bobcats, 37-21, with just over five minutes to play in the opening half and went on a 20-7 run to cut the lead to three at the half, 44-41. Christopher Newport grabbed the lead five minutes into the second half, 50-49, and proceeded to go up by as many as eight. FSU rallied and pulled even at 75-75 and then tied the game at 80-80 in the final minutes.

Sophomore Luther Gibbs, who scored ten points in the game, knocked down a driving layup to give the Captains an 82-80 edge in the final minute. Frostburg State's Daniel Alexander, who had 15 points for the day, then missed a jumper that would have tied it up again. McFarland put the game on ice by making three of four free throw attempts in the final seconds as the Captains avenged an 83-81 loss to the Bobcats at the Freeman Center on December 2nd.

"We talk a lot about resilience and how important it is for us to bounce back," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "I thought today we showed some toughness and kept battling. We had a lot of guys step up and help us get back in the game."

Freshman Jason Aigner scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half, and connected on four three-pointers. Sophomore Cutch Ellis, who did not score in the opening half, tallied seven points in the second stanza. Senior Spencer Marin recorded 14 points as well for the Captains, and topped the team with eight rebounds.

The Captains out-rebounded the Bobcats, 39-32, and made nine three-pointers on 24 attempts (37.5 percent). CNU's defense held FSU to just 10 of 26 shooting in the second half (38.5 percent) after the Bobcats made 19 of 33 shots in the opening half (57.6 percent).

"This is the second half of the conference season now," Krikorian continued. "Everybody has seen everybody once, and some of the first meetings were back in early December. Teams change through the course of the season and you're always looking to improve game to game. I think we're a better team now than we were when we first played Frostburg State."

Sophomore Lawrence Pettis led the Bobcats with 20 points, while junior Edwin Cole posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. FSU fell to 7-10 overall and 5-5 in the CAC with the defeat in front of 170 fans at Bobcat Arena.

The Captains now lead the all-time series with Frostburg State, 16-5. CNU returns to action on Wednesday at the Freeman Center, hosting St. Mary's College of Maryland. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. for the Capital Athletic Conference game.