NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport's Aaron McFarland erupted for a career-high 35 points Thursday night as the Captains defeated Mary Washington in the Capital Athletic Conference semi-finals at the Freeman Center, 90-74. CNU will host York College on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in the CAC Championship, as the Captains go for their third straight title.

McFarland, a senior from Richmond, scored 25 of his 35 in the second half and set a new school mark for free throw percentage by going 16 for 16 at the line. He also went over the 1,500-point mark for his career, and climbed into ninth place on the school's all-time scoring list as the Captains won their fifth straight game and 10th of their last 11.

The Captains, the top seed in the tournament, never trailed in the game and led by as many as 25 in the opening half. The Eagles, who finished the year with a 19-8 record, trailed at halftime, 50-26, but then rallied in the second stanza to cut the lead to eight. CNU re-gained momentum and never let the game get closer.

"The first half was so much fun to watch," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "But we knew there was no way we could continue that through the second half. Mary Washington is a good team and they made a a great run at us...but we were able to survive it. A lot of different guys stepped up tonight to pull us through."

McFarland, who passed Mike Cherry to move into ninth place on the scoring list, has now scored 1,502 points in his career. He ended the night eight-of-12 from the field, including three-for-six from three-point range, in addition to making all 16 free throws he attempted. McFarland is the school's all-time leader in three-point shooting, and now has 261. Saturday's title game will be his 116th in a CNU uniform, matching the school's all-time record for games played. His previous career-high was 27 points, a mark he had hit three times in his career including earlier this season vs. Catholic. 

CNU, playing without sophomore starter Luther Gibbs due to a wrist injury, also got 11 points from sophomore Nick Parks, who took Gibbs' place in the starting lineup. Fellow sophomore Cutch Ellis added ten points for the Captains, who shot 73 percent in the first half (19 of 26) and 57 percent from the field for the game (28 of 49). CNU's 90-point effort marked the most points scored by the Captains this season.

The Captains out-rebounded the Eagles, 38-25, and held Mary Washington to just 42 percent shooting for the night (28 of 67). Senior Eric Shaw led the Eagles with 19 points.

Christopher Newport is now 21-5 and will play in the conference title game for the fifth straight season since joining the CAC. The Captains have beaten Salisbury at the Freeman Center in the last two title games, and now will play York for the first time ever in post-season play. York, the second seed in the post-season tournament, advanced Thursday night with a 75-59 home win over Salisbury.

The Captains and Spartans split their two games this season, with each team winning at home by a ten-point margin. Just last Saturday, the Captains ended the regular season with an 81-71 victory over the Spartans on Senior Day at the Freeman Center. York is ranked 12th in the country this week and has a record of 22-4.

"We've had some great crowds here this season and I hope it continues on Saturday," Krikorian continued. "The Freeman Center is a special place and I think the atmosphere here will provide a great setting for another title game."

Tickets for Saturday's Championship will go on sale Friday morning at the Freeman Center ticket office. The office will open at 9:00 a.m.

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