Women's Basketball Game Notes
Men's Game Notes

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- Early in the conference portion of the schedule, the Christopher Newport basketball teams face a stiff challenge as they travel to the University of Mary Washington on Saturday afternoon for a Capital Athletic Conference doubleheader. Tipoff for the women's game between the two first-place teams is at 1:00 p.m. and the Captains' men's squad will face the Eagles at approximately 3:00 p.m.

For fans unable to attend the games live, a video webcast and live stats will be available online at CNUsports.com. The matchup will be played at Rosner Arena at the Anderson Center on the campus of Mary Washington and the men's game can also be heard live locally in Hampton Roads on the CNU/Pepsi Radio Network on Xtra 99.1 FM. 

With just ten games in conference play this season, every matchup has increased meaning for league tournament seeding and Saturday's double dip will have huge playoff implications. On the women's side, the winning team will be the only undefeated team remaining in conference action; the men's bout is the first of two matchups with the Eagles that could help define home court advantage in the postseason. 

First up, the Christopher Newport women's squad will carry a five-game winning streak into the road trip taking on a Mary Washington squad that has won six straight. The Captains are 13-4 overall with a 2-0 start to CAC action and the Eagles are 13-3, 2-0. 

So far this season, Christopher Newport has picked up wins against York (Pa.) and Southern Virginia at home while holding both league foes to just 50 points scored. Sophomore Natalie Terwilliger has led both games in scoring with 13 and 12 point efforts and continues to lead the squad in points per game this season with 11.8 scored. Classmate Sondra Fan, with 11.5 points per game, and rookie Anaya Simmons, with 10.6 points per game, are the only other Captains averaging double figures for the highly-potent Captains offense. As a team, Christopher Newport ranks among the top teams in the country with 80.9 points per game. 

Mary Washington enters the contest with a similarly well-balanced scoring sheet led by Maddie Shiflett's 14.3 points per game. Shifflett has been nearly automatic from the free-throw line, ranking in the top five nationally while knocking down 92% of her attempts from the stripe. As a team, the Eagles are hitting over 78% from the line and are dangerous with over 18 shots per game with the clock stopped. Mary Washington is also a strong shooting team overall, knocking down 41.6% of their attempts from the field. 

On the men's side, Christopher Newport is receiving votes in the D3hoops.com National Rankings and has won six straight games coming into Saturday's bout with the Eagles. Mary Washington is 5-1 at home this season and is coming off a tough loss at Salisbury, 75-65, in conference action on Wednesday night. Earlier in the month, the Eagles handed then-4th ranked Randolph-Macon it's first loss of the season, 70-65, in Rosner Arena. 

Senior Dalon McHugh has caught fire for the Captains offensively, averaging over 21 points per game in the last three contests. As a team, the Captains have scored 79 or more points in all six games during the current win streak including three 90+ point performances. Coming off a decisive 83-55 victory at Southern Virginia, Christopher Newport will look to continue that success against a talented Mary Washington squad on the road. Junior Jason Aigner continues to hold the scoring lead for the Captains, averaging 11.9 points per game while ranking second in the conference in three-point shooting. 

The Eagles will counter with strong three-point shooting of their own as senior Drew Johnson is knocking down 42.2% from long range while scoring over 12 points per game. Sophomore Greg Rowson leads the team with 17.5 points per game as one of five Mary Washington players averaging double figures this season. Da'Shawn Cook (12.1 ppg), Riley Welch (11.9 ppg), and Trey Barber (10.7 ppg) round out the group. This season, only six players are averaging more than 11.2 minutes per game for the Eagles.