Game Notes:  CNU Men  ||  CNU Women

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Freeman Center will play host to another Capital Athletic Conference doubleheader on Wednesday, February 7 as the CNU basketball teams welcome Southern Virginia University at 5:30 and 7:30 pm. With just four games remaining in the regular season schedule, the Captains jostle for positioning in the CAC Tournament while the Knights are just on the outside looking in, fighting for a spot in the 2018 postseason. 

A live video webcast of the doubleheader will be available at CNUsports.com/live along with live stats. The twin bill will also serve as Academic Recognition Night for the Christopher Newport student-athletes; every player who earned a 3.20 GPA or better in the fall term will be recognized in a halftime ceremony of both games. In addition, the newest induction class of Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athlete Honor Society, will be honored at halftime of both games. 

The opening tip for the women's game will be at 5:30 pm as the Captains, who moved up to No. 9 in the nation according to the WBCA Top 25, will take on a talented Southern Virginia squad that sits just one game out of the current playoff picture. CNU moved into a tie for first in the CAC Standings with a 13-1 mark in league play while improving their overall record to 19-2. The Knights enter the contest with a 12-9 overall mark and a 5-9 record in conference play. It is the finest record for the Knights since 2012-13 when they went 15-9 the year before joining Division III. 

CNU is riding an eight-game winning streak and picked up another victory on the court on Saturday when the team saw the return of All-Region forward Sam Porter. The senior missed eight games during January with an injured hand and returned to play 19 minutes against Marymount, scoring eight points with four rebounds and four steals. She moved into a tie for fourth all-time in career steals, with 288. 

Porter, who has only played 12 games this season, leads the way in the scoring column for CNU with 9.0 points per game. Eight different Captains are averaging at least 5.0 points per game while the balanced attack has led the way for the league's most potent offensive unit, averaging 76.2 points per game. Southern Virginia ranks second in the league with 72.9 points per game this year, behind a dynamic front court player of their own. Rookie Katie Garrish is one of the league's top all-around players, leading the CAC in rebounding (10.4 rpg) and blocked shots (3.4 bpg), while ranking third in the conference in scoring (14.7 ppg). 

Following the women's bout, the CNU men will look to bounce back after suffering a loss on a last second shot to Marymount in the last game. The Captains were riding a five game winning streak heading into the loss to the Saints, which bumped the team into a three-way tie for second in the league standings. Christopher Newport is now 16-5 overall with a 10-4 mark in league action, tied with Mary Washington and Salisbury. York (Pa.) has retaken a stranglehold on the top of the league with a two-game lead with four games to play, posting a 19-2,  12-2 mark. On the other end of the playoff picture, Southern Virginia is two games back of Wesley and Marymount for the final playoff spot with a 9-12, 4-10 record. 

Seniors Aaron McFarland and Spencer Marin continue to headline the Captains' offensive production as McFarland ranks fifth in the league in scoring with 16.8 points per game and Marin ranks in the top 40 nationally in field goal percentage at a 60% clip. The strength for CNU this season has been team defense, which ranks 10th nationally in field-goal percentage defense and 13th in scoring defense. Opponents have struggled to score against the Captains, with the defense holding to under 65 points allowed 12 times this season. 

Southern Virginia will look a little different than they did in early January when the Captains throttled the Knights for an 83-58 victory, as two of the Knights' leading players were not in action during that contest. Senior Cale Thornton and sophomore Tyler McCreadie are expected to play Wednesday and come in averaging 18.4 points and 12.1 rebounds per game this season. The Knights were leading nationally-ranked York (Pa.) at the half and led by 11 in their last contest before ultimately succumbing to the Spartans. Senior Aaron Rumbaugh is the leading scorer, averaging 12.3 points per game, while rookie Justin Prisbrey is pouring in 12.0 points per game. 

Following the CAC home doubleheader, the Captains will hit the road for two of their last three, starting with a Saturday double-dip at Penn State Harrisburg at 1 and 3:00 pm.