FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - Christopher Newport knocked down a dozen three-pointers Wednesday night as the Captains held off Mary Washington, 75-71. The victory improved CNU's record to 19-5 overall and 13-4 in the Capital Athletic Conference, setting the stage for a regular-season deciding clash Saturday night with York College at the Freeman Center.

Sophomore Cutch Ellis posted his first career double-double by recording career highs in points (19) and rebounds (13) to lead the Captains. Ellis drained four threes, all in the opening half, and senior Aaron McFarland also registered four triples, all in the second stanza, to finish with 15 points. Sophomore Luther Gibbs also reached double digits with 12 points.

"I can't say enough about the way Mary Washington challenged us tonight," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "Every possession was a battle, and we needed every big shot we hit to win this game."

CNU trailed early, 12-8, before Ellis took over by leading the Captains on a 17-0 run to grab a 25-12 lead. Ellis knocked down all four of his threes during the run, and CNU later would go up by as many as 15, 29-14. But the Eagles bounced back, as UMW, now 17-7 overall and 11-6 in the CAC, cut the lead to seven at halftime, 36-29.

Mary Washington put the pressure on in the second half, and eventually jumped ahead of the Captains, but could not take a lead bigger than three points. McFarland took over and made four three-pointers in six attempts in the second half after going 0 for 5 from long range in the opening half. He now has 255 career threes, just two behind Jermaine Woods' all-time mark of 257.

Christopher Newport re-claimed the lead, 55-53, on a Jason Aigner three-pointer with 8:52 to play and never fell behind again. Late drives to the basket by Gibbs for a dunk and junior Tyler Femi for a layup helped put the finishing touches on the road victory.

The Captains made 12 of 31 three-point attempts for the night (38.7 percent) and out-rebounded the Eagles, 43-40, en route to the four-point triumph in front of 994 fans at Ron Rosner Arena at the Anderson Center. The Captains had beaten Mary Washington earlier this season at the Freeman Center, 76-62, on January 17th. CNU now has won the last eight games with the Eagles, and the Captains hold a 27-6 advantage in the all-time series.

With the triumph, CNU is now guaranteed either the top or second seed in next week's CAC Tournament. Saturday's regular-season finale vs. York will determine the seeds, with the winner taking the top spot and the loser taking the second seed. It also assured the Captains a home game next Thursday night, February 22nd, in the semi-final round of the tournament.

Christopher Newport has won both the regular and post-season championships in the CAC the last two seasons. Saturday's game vs. York will also serve as Senior Night, as the Captains honor seniors Aaron McFarland and Spencer Marin as well as senior manager Celina Eossa prior to tipoff, which is scheduled for approximately 8:00 p.m.

York defeated the Captains, 79-69, on January 13th in York, Pa. The Spartans are now 21-3 overall and 14-3 in the CAC following a victory Wednesday night at home over St. Mary's. The Spartans are ranked eighth in the country this week.