NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport begins its quest for a third-straight Capital Athletic Conference tournament title Thursday night. CNU, with a 20-5 overall record and a 14-4 conference mark in the regular season, begins post-season play by hosting the Eagles of Mary Washington. Tipoff time at the Freeman Center is set for 8:00 p.m.

John Krikorian's Captains have won their last four games, and nine of the last ten. CNU grabbed the top seed in the conference tournament for the third straight year by beating York last Saturday, 81-71, to conclude the regular season. Senior Aaron McFarland led the way with 21 points, and set the new school mark for three-point field goals by knocking down three against the Spartans. McFarland, who is averaging 17.3 points per game this season, has now connected on 258 triples in his career.

Sophomore Cutch Ellis has posted back-to-back double doubles to end the regular season, and was named the CAC's Player of the Week this week. Ellis scored a career-high 19 points and pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds last Wednesday at Mary Washington, and followed three days later by scoring 19 points again and recording a dozen rebounds vs. York.

Christopher Newport and Mary Washington met twice this season, with the Captains prevailing in each game. CNU won at the Freeman Center on January 17th, 76-62, and posted a 75-71 victory in Fredericksburg last Wednesday. The teams will be meeting for the 34th time in the all-time series, and the Captains hold a 27-6 lead. CNU has won eight straight games over the Eagles.

Mary Washington, the fourth seed in the tournament, advanced by winning a quarter-final game on Tuesday night at home over Frostburg State, 82-78. Senior Eric Shaw led the way with 20 points and averages a team-high 15.8 points per game for the season. The Eagles are now 19-7 overall and were 12-6 in the CAC this year.

Thursday night's other semi-final game in the CAC will be played in York, Pa., as the second-seeded Spartans of York will host the third-seeded Sea Gulls of Salisbury. Thursday night's victors will play Saturday afternoon at the higher seed for the CAC title.

Tickets for the CAC post-season action will be available at the Freeman Center Ticket Office prior to the game Thursday night. The game will also be streamed live on CNUsports.com/live. All Captains games are also broadcast live on the Christopher Newport/Pepsi Radio Network (Xtra 99.1 FM) with the pre-game show beginning at 7:40 p.m.

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