WINCHESTER, Va. – Christopher Newport extended its winning streak to open the season to five games on Wednesday night with a 91-78 victory over Shenandoah University at the Wilkins. The Captains, ranked 22^nd in the nation, led by as many as 26 points in the second half before the Hornets trimmed the final verdict to 13 in the waning moments of the game.
 
CNU was led by junior forward Cutch Ellis, who contributed a career-high 20 points, with 15 coming in the opening half. Senior Marcus Carter, who was hampered by foul trouble and held to just two points in the first half, tallied 14 points in the second half to finish the game with 16. Sophomore Jason Aigner also finished in double figures, registering 13 points.
 
"I wasn't pleased with the way we played tonight," said Head Coach John Krikorian following the game. "I didn't like our intensity and our mindset tonight. We made way too many mistakes and missed a lot of foul shots."
 
The Captains made 18-of-31 from the free throw line and were victimized by 20 turnovers. Christopher Newport shot 48.5% from the field (32-66), and outrebounded the Hornets 55 to 44. Sophomore Brandon Edmond led the Captains on the boards with seven. CNU has now outrebounded all five of its opponents this season.
 
Shenandoah, now 2-3 on the season, held a 20-16 lead over the Captains midway through the first half. The Captains then went on a 16-3 run to post a nine-point edge, 32-23, their biggest lead of the first half.
 
After leading by eight at the intermission, 43-35, Christopher Newport blew open the game in the second half by going on an 11-0 run. The Captains eventually would go up as many as 26, 87-61, before the Hornets used a late rally to cut the final verdict to 13.
 
CNU's defense held Shenandoah to 36.6% shooting for the night (26-71). The Hornets also struggled at the free throw line making just 19 of 40 attempts. Freshman Jaylen Williams led the Hornets attack with 23 points, 16 coming in the second half.
 
Ellis, who scored 19 points in back-to-back games last season as a sophomore, recorded his first career 20-point game and was a first half key for the Captains, who were without Carter due to foul trouble. Ellis went 6-of-9 from the floor and 7-of-10 from the charity stripe.
 
Christopher Newport now holds a 48-13 lead in the all-time series against Shenandoah, a former rival when both schools were members of the USA South Conference. The Captains have now won nine straight in the series, and the game was the first ever in the Wilkins Center, which opened in January. The game marked the first of five-straight for the Captains against opponents from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
 
The Captains will put their 5-0 record on the line again on Saturday in a tournament hosted by Lynchburg University. Christopher Newport will play Randolph Saturday at 4:00pm in the opening game of the two-day classic.