NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - For the second straight season, Christopher Newport and York College (Pa.) will play for the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. The Captains, 24-3 and the top seed in the field, host the second-seeded Spartans (21-6) Saturday at the Freeman Center with the starting time set for 5:00 p.m.

Both squads are riding impressive winning streaks, as the Spartans have taken ten straight games and the Captains have won their last eight. The two regular season meetings were decided by a total of just three points, with the Captains winning at the Freeman Center, 73-71, and the Spartans taking the decision in York, 82-81. Both teams concluded the regular season with 12-2 CAC records, and the Captains claimed the top seed and home court advantage thanks to a coin flip. This is the sixth season for Christopher Newport as a member of the CAC, and it will be the sixth straight trip to the title game for the Captains. CNU has won two of the previous five title games, and the Captains are now 11-3 all-time in CAC Tournament games.

York's tenth straight victory came on Thursday night in the semifinals, when the Spartans advanced with a 69-62 home triumph over Mary Washington. Matt Hunter's team had beaten St. Mary's on Tuesday in the quarterfinals. York defeated Christopher Newport last year in the title game, posting an 82-73 win at the Freeman Center.  CNU, ranked 11th in the nation, opened the tournament on Tuesday with a home win over Southern Virginia, and then knocked Salisbury out of the field on Thursday with an 87-71 victory at the Freeman Center, where the Captains are now 15-0 this season.

The title game will feature two of the top talents in the conference, the CAC's Player of the Year, senior Jason Bady of York, and former Player of the Year and first team All-American Marcus Carter, who is seventh on the school's all-time scoring list. Carter is now 44 points shy of Antoine Sinclair for sixth place on the list. CNU sophomore Jason Aigner, a second team All-Conference member, has now connected on 102 three-point field goals this season. He is just 11 shy of Jermaine Woods' single-season record of 113 set in the 2001-02 campaign. 

At stake is an automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship, which begins next weekend. The bracket for the tournament is expected to be released by the NCAA on Monday afternoon at 12:30 p.m.

Saturday's game will be part of back-to-back Championship battles at the Freeman Center, as the CNU women will host Southern Virginia at 2:00 p.m. in the CAC's women's final. Tickets for the doubleheader will be available at the Freeman Center Ticket Office. The live video will be available as well as live stats at CNUsports.com/watch. The men's game will also be broadcast live on the Christopher Newport/Pepsi Radio Network (Xtra 99.1 FM) with the pre-game show beginning at 4:40 p.m.

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