DANVILLE, VA – Christopher Newport's men's basketball squad dropped a 79-71 decision at Averett Saturday afternoon in a USA South contest.

The Cougars came out on fire, hitting 11 of its 21 three-point attempts in the first half. The Cougars led by as many as 19 points  in the opening stanza, 47-28, with 57 seconds left in the half.

AU shot 52% from behind the arc and 44% from the field in the first half while holding CNU to just 37% shooting in the first half. Averett also forced 12 first half turnovers that they converted into 15 points.

Christopher Newport scored the first 12 points in the second half, cutting the lead to five, 47-42, with 16:06 left. The Cougars answered by increasing their lead to 11 with 13:49 remaining. CNU went on an 11-4 run to cut the lead to four, 59-55, with 9:27 left, which would be as close as they would get.

AU went ahead by 13 with 2:29 left, and CNU would not go quietly as they whittled the lead down to five with 28 seconds left, but the Cougars hit their free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Averett finished 25-of-70 (36%) from the field, 13-of-34 (38%) from behind the arc and 16-of-21 (76%) from the free throw line. Kenny Hart paced AU with 19 points and eight rebounds. Jonathon Rumley finished with 16 points and 12 assists. Mike Miller and Chris Pagentine each finished with 12 points.

CNU was 25-of-59 (42%) from the floor, 6-of-22 (27%) from long range and 15-of-23 (65%) from the charity stripe. Davon Barton led the Captains with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Thomas Whinnett finished with 18 points and seven boards, Theo Baker added 15 and Mark Blasingame totaled 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The Cougars improve to 15-8 overall and 8-2 in USA South play. Christopher Newport falls to 1-8 on the year and 7-2 in conference action. The Captains returns to action Sunday when they travel to Ferrum with tip-off set for 4 pm.

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