NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- A red-hot offense led the way for the Captains tonight, as Christopher Newport (12-3, 4-0) shot over 60% from the field and put triple-digits on the scoreboard in a conference win at home over Ferrum, 107-79. Five CNU players finished in double figures, led by rookie Mike Cherry with a career-high 24 points.

Cherry led a dominant long-range attack against the Panthers (9-6, 2-2), knocking down five three-pointers in six shots, as CNU finished 10-for-17 from beyond the arc. Senior Conley Taylor and junior Luc Atangana each added a pair, and Will Clarkson knocked down one.

The Captains raced out to an 8-2 lead behind Cherry's first two trey's and a jumper in the paint by sophomore Tra Benefield. After trading buckets and holding onto the two-possession lead for most of the first ten minutes, CNU coined a 15-2 run to take the biggest lead of the half, 29-14, on a free-throw by Taylor.

Christopher Newport held onto the double-digit lead at the break, 49-34, led by Benefield and Cherry. Benefield scored 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while Cherry had three of his long-range jumpers and a pair of free-throws for 11 points. The Captains shot 53.1% from the field on 17-of-32 shooting, including 6-for-11 from beyond the arc.

Ferrum senior Marcus Mayo collected 12 points and seven rebounds to lead the way, but the rest of the team managed just 22 points and 12 rebounds in the first half.

Things only heated up after the break for the Captains, who shot an impressive 68.8% in the second stanza, knocking down 22-of-32 attempts. Cherry was 5-for-6 in the second half, adding 13 points, including a three-pointer with 5:06 remaining to give CNU a 92-68 lead.

CNU was able to clear the bench, getting 12 different players into the scoring column. All five starters finished in double figures while Clarkson led all reserves with eight points and four rebounds.

Cherry finished the night 8-for-11 from the field with 5-of-6 from three-point land. The rookie scored 24 points and added three assists and three rebounds. Benefield finished with 21 points, while Atangana grabbed another double-double with 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

Defensively, rookie Nik Biberaj had an impressive day, swatting a season-high six shots to go with his 13 points and eight rebounds.

Ferrum shot 37.7% from the field in the game (29-77), while CNU shot 60.9% from the floor (39-64).

Mayo finished with a game-high 26 points, adding nine rebounds and three assists. Maleek Myers chipped in 16 points off the bench with four steals and Nick English added 13 points, 6 rebounds for the Panthers.

CNU will now return to action as part of a conference doubleheader this Wednesday, January 18 against Shenandoah University. The Captains will put their eight-game winning streak on the line at 7:30 pm in the Freeman Center.