NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport never trailed Tuesday night as the 11th-ranked Captains defeated Southern Virginia, 89-59, in the opening round of the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament. The victory in the quarterfinal game at the Freeman Center improved the Captains to 23-3 on the season, and the top-seeded CNU squad will host Salisbury Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. in the semifinal round of the eight-team tournament.

CNU matched a school single-game record by making 18 three-point shots, including 13 in the first half, and the Captains were led by sophomore Jason Aigner's 23 points, with 21 coming on seven threes. Aigner finished the night seven-of-14 from long range, and the Captains made 18-of-36 from distance. CNU also made 18 threes against York in 2015. 

Senior Marcus Carter sank four triples and also reached double digits with 18 points, as eight different CNU players recorded threes and 13 in all got into the scoring column.

"We were really focused tonight and I think our mindset was where it needed to be," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "The first half allowed us to build the lead and really decided the game."

Christopher Newport has now won seven straight games, and the Captains are 14-0 this season at the Freeman Center. CNU jumped to an early lead and went ahead by as many as 31 in the first half. The Captains held a 54-25 edge at intermission, and then out-scored the Knights, 35-34, in the second half.

Aigner set the tone in the opening half by connecting on five triples, making five-of-nine from beyond the arc before intermission. He now has 99 three pointers this season, the second-most ever in a single season in school history behind Jermaine Woods' 113 in the 2002-2003 season..

Carter, who also tallied six rebounds and six assists, pulled even with Buck Moore for seventh place on CNU's all-time scoring list. He also matched a school record Tuesday night by playing in his 118th career game, the same number played by former teammate Aaron McFarland. Carter has now scored 1,677 career points and is 59 points behind Antoine Sinclair for sixth place on the scoring list. 

The Captains out-rebounded the Knights, 34-32, with junior Cutch Ellis pulling down a game-high eight boards. CNU forced 18 Knights turnovers while committing only eight for the night. 

Southern Virginia concludes the season with a 4-22 record, and the Knights were led by junior Jamier Cross' 13 points. CNU has now won 19 of 20 games in the all-time series with SVU.

Salisbury advanced to the quarterfinals by coming from behind to beat Frostburg State in overtime Tuesday night. Christopher Newport won both games this season with the Sea Gulls by scores of 67-64 at the Freeman Center on January 23rd and 91-74 in Salisbury, Md., last Wednesday. The Sea Gulls are now 19-7, and are the fourth seed in the CAC Tournament.

Thursday night's game will be a part of a semifinal doubleheader at the Freeman Center, with the CNU women playing Mary Washington at 6:00 p.m. followed by the CNU-Salisbury men's matchup at approximately 8:00 p.m.