Christopher Newport has been a member of the Capital Athletic Conference for the past four seasons, and Saturday at the Freeman Center, the CNU men's basketball squad will play in its fourth-straight CAC title game. The Captains, ranked third in the country and riding an 18-game winning streak, will host Salisbury for the conference championship game with tipoff time set for 4:30 p.m.

John Krikorian's squad advanced to the title tilt Thursday night with a 78-53 victory over Marymount at the Freeman Center. The win marked the 25th consecutive victory for the Captains at the Freeman Center dating back to December of 2015. Junior Marcus Carter led the way with 18 points and eight rebounds in the semi-final triumph, and senior Tim Daly recorded 17 points and seven boards. 

"We were focused on what we had to do, and really played at a high level," Krikorian said. "We had a balanced attack, and our defense really played strong  This is a great time of year with the emotion of post-season, and I know Saturday will be a special day at the Freeman Center."

Championship Saturday will consist of two title games for CNU at the Freeman Center. The women's squad will play Mary Washington for the CAC title at 2:00 p.m. followed by the CNU-Salisbury matchup at 4:30 p.m.

CNU blew open a 27-20 game Thursday night thanks to a 16-0 run spanning from the first half into the second. The Captains held a 38-20 halftime lead, and early second-half three-pointers from seniors Justin Hampton and Kevin Regimbal helped push the advantage to as many as 26.

The Captains again excelled on defense, holding the Saints to just 37 percent shooting for the night (17 of 46). CNU, the top defense in the country in points allowed and opponent field goal percentage, held its foe under the 60-point mark for the 19th time in 26 games.

CNU out-rebounded Marymount, 39-27, and the Captains knocked down 30 of 57 total shots for 52.6 percent shooting.

Marymount, the fourth seed in the tournament, concludes the season with a 13-14 overall record. The Saints were led by senior Michael Anderson's 17 points.

Christopher Newport is now 24-2 and will play Salisbury for the league title for the third straight season. The Sea Gulls are 20-6 following a double-overtime victory over York in the other semi-final Thursday night, 86-80.

The Captains and Sea Gulls split their two games this season, with each team winning at home. The Sea Gulls used a three-point shot at the buzzer from half-court on December 17th to beat the Captains, 59-58, and marked the last loss for CNU. The Captains have since won 18 straight.

Christopher Newport answered with a 55-53 triumph at the Freeman Center on January 25th. The league rivals have now played 11 times since CNU joined the CAC, and the Captains have won six times to Salisbury's five. The last four meetings have been decided by six points, with two games, including last year's CAC title game, going to overtime. The Captains defeated the Sea Gulls in the title game last year at the Freeman Center, 68-67, in overtime.

Tickets for the championship games will be available Friday at the Freeman Center Ticket Office from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased by phone at 757-594-7880, as well as on the internet at CNUsports.com.