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FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The Christopher Newport University men's basketball went on the road for the second time this week and played in an opponent's home opener.  On Friday, the Captains left the University of Mary Washington with a two-point, overtime victory, 74-72.

The Captains started hot and moved out to 22-11 advantage with 7:15 to play in the first half.  Conley Taylor and Jon Snead hit three-point shots to jumpstart the CNU offense but it would prove to be the last time in the first half the Captains would show an offensive spark.

Mary Washington came to life, led largely by Bradley Riester's 16 first-half points, and closed the final seven minutes of play on a 24-1 run.  Riester and Matt Boward teamed up to pace the Eagles as they stormed past the Captains to a 35-23 advantage.

The game was played in front of 1,200 students and fans in the first ever Mary Washington basketball game in the brand new William M. Anderson Center.  The 52,000 square foot facility was completed in August and the students rose to a fevered pitch by the end of the first half.

CNU came out of the half and methodically chipped away at the Mary Washington lead.  Conley Taylor and Tra Benefield attacked the basket resulting in 18 free throw attempts after intermission.  Taylor used 16 second half points to lead all scorers with 22 for the game while adding 9 rebounds and three assists.

Taylor became the Captains go-to man down the stretch as he got to the charity stripe eight times in overtime.  After Taylor missed a second free throw with less than 10 seconds remaining and leading by four, Riester kept the Eagles alive by hitting a three pointer from 30 feet. 

On the ensuing inbounds play, freshman, Mike Cherry, controlled the ball and was fouled with 1.2 seconds remaining.  Cherry converted the first attempt and controlled a rebound off of his own missed shot after the second to seal the overtime victory for the Captains.

CNU returns to action Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. against York (NY) in a game played at the Anderson Center on Mary Washington's campus. A live audio feed will be available via the link below as the game will not be broadcast on the CNU/Pepsi Radio network.  The First Round NCAA football game will be aired live from Union, NJ on Xtra 99.1 FM.