NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- Christopher Newport held off Salisbury Wednesday night at the Freeman Center, 56-47, for the Captains fifth straight win. John Krikorian's squad, ranked 18th in the nation, improved to 8-1 on the season and 2-0 in the Capital Athletic Conference.

"This was just plain ugly tonight," Head Coach John Krikorian said following the triumph. "Sometimes you just have to gut it out, and keep playing hard. I think our defensive effort was good, but we just couldn't get much going offensively."

Both teams struggled mightily at the offensive end, and Salisbury failed to reach double figures by halftime. CNU held a 28-8 lead at the intermission, as the Sea Gulls shot just 9 percent from the floor (2 of 22) in the opening half. Salisbury finished the game shooting 28 percent (16 of 57) while Christopher Newport made just 18 of 61 shots (29.5 percent).

The Captains never trailed in the game, their first at home since November 24th, although the Sea Gulls cut the lead as close as five in the second half. CNU's 20-point lead at halftime was the biggest advantage of the game.

Senior Tra Benefield led the Captains in scoring for the fifth straight game, all CNU victories. Benefield, a pre-season All-America selection and the Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Week this week, scored 23 points and also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. He was the only Captain in double figures.

"Tra was terrific again," Krikorian continued. "He's just what we need from a senior leader, night in and night out he makes the big plays. He hit a couple of big three's in the second half that really made a big difference in the game."

CNU out-rebounded Salisbury, 54-37, including an 18-9 edge on the offensive glass.

Salisbury rallied in the second half thanks to freshman reserve Charles Porter, who came off the bench and scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second stanza. Salisbury's starting five in the game registered a grand total of just 13 points, while the Gulls got 34 of their points off the bench.

The Sea Gulls are now 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the Capital Athletic Conference.

Christopher Newport now has an 11-day break for the holidays. The Captains, who are off to their best start since the 2001-02 season, play again on December 30th against Pitt-Greensburg at the Freeman Center. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.