NEWPORT NEWS, Va.-  Christopher Newport raced to a 19-point lead at halftime Friday night, and then held off Lycoming College at the Freeman Center, 79-71. The first round victory in the NCAA Division III Championship sends the Captains into another home game Saturday night against NYU. Tipoff time is set for 7:00 p.m.

The Violets of NYU advanced with an 86-67 triumph over Brooklyn College in the first game Friday night at the Freeman Center.

CNU's victory was the 27th of the season, setting a new school single-season record for wins. The Captains, ranked fourth in the nation, never trailed in the game and are now 27-1 and have won 18 straight games.

"This was a tremendous win for the program," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "It was such an exciting atmosphere tonight and we really got off to a great start. Our energy level was sky high."

Sophomore Aaron McFarland, a first team All-Conference selection, led the way for the Captains scoring 21 points and going five-for-five from beyond the three-point arc. McFarland drained three of his triples in the opening half as CNU pulled away to a 43-24 advantage at intermission.

Lycoming trailed by as many as 21 points, 51-30, early in the second half before the Warriors mounted a comeback. Lycoming went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 13 and then got as close as nine, 53-44, pushing the run to 14-2.

The Captains were able to rally in front of the home crowd of 2,040 and hold off the Warriors. CNU made nine of ten foul shots in the second half to help put the game away, marking Christopher Newport's 12th all-time NCAA win.

"They definitely hit some big shots in the second half, not because our defense was any different...they just made some really big plays," Krikorian continued. "I give credit to that team, they certainly were difficult to defend."

Sophomore Marcus Carter, the Capital Athletic Conference's Player of the Year, posted his sixth double-double of the season with 15 points and ten rebounds. Junior Tim Daly, a first team All-Conference member, added 14 points and nine rebounds, and junior Kevin Regimbal posted 12.

The Captains made 14 of 15 foul shots for the night, and out-rebounded the Warriors, 34-30. Both teams shot 49 percent from the field in the first meeting ever of the schools.

Junior David Johnson led Lycoming with 19 points, with 17 coming in the second half fueling LC's comeback effort. The Warriors conclude their season with a 19-10 mark.

The 27-1 Captains will have to take down a 21-5 NYU squad to advance to the Sweet 16 Saturday night. The Violets got a 25-point performance from senior center Costis Gontikas in their victory over Brooklyn. The Violets start four seniors, and had five players in double figures in their 19-point victory.

"If you get to this point, you can count on every team being good," Krikorian said. "NYU is big and experienced and well coached and will give us everything we can handle." 

Tickets for Saturday night's NYU/CNU battle will go on sale Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. at the Freeman Center Ticket Office and will also be available at the Freeman Center prior to tipoff.