SALISBURY, Md. - Christopher Newport grabbed sole possession of second place in the Capital Athletic Conference Wednesday night with a 72-57 victory at Salisbury University. The Captains, now 16-4 overall and 10-3 in the CAC, remain a game behind York College at the top of the conference standings.

CNU never trailed in the battle, and the Captains were led again by senior Aaron McFarland, who didn't score in the opening half, but bounced back to post 13 second-half points. Junior Tyler Femi added 12 points and sophomore Nick Parks was also in double digits with ten. It was the second straight game in double figures for Parks, who scored a career-high 17 at Wesley on Saturday.

Christopher Newport held a 31-25 lead at the half at the Maggs Center, then scored the first 12 points of the second half to jump to a 43-25 lead. The Captains, who have now won five straight games, upped the lead to as many as 19 when they went up 51-32. The Sea Gulls, now 13-7 overall and 9-4 in the conference, later would cut the lead as close as seven, 63-56, before the Captains ended the game with a 9-1 run for the 15-point triumph.

"This was a battle, and we were ready to play," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "I think it was certainly one of the best defensive efforts we've put out there in quite some time, certainly this year. Even when they made their run, we were able to get it back. I give our guys a lot of credit for the way we performed." The victory was the 175th for Krikorian at CNU. He is now 175-46 since taking over the program eight years ago.  

Sophomore Luther Gibbs finished the game with seven points, 11 rebounds, and five assists for the Captains, who have now won four in a row over the Sea Gulls. Christopher Newport now holds a 27-15 lead in the all-time series.

CNU's defense, ranked 10th in the nation in opponent field goal percentage and 17th in the country in opponent scoring, held the Sea Gulls to just 28.6 percent shooting for the night (18 of 63). Salisbury's leading scorer, senior Chad Barcikowski, was held to ten points and made just three of 15 shots. Junior Blair Davis topped the Gulls in scoring with 16 points.

The Captains were powered offensively by three-point shooting, finishing the game with 11 triples in 21 attempts. Seven different Captains knocked downs shots from long range.

Christopher Newport will host Marymount on Saturday at the Freeman Center. Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m. and it will be Hall of Fame Induction Day, with ceremonies taking place at halftime.