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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- North Carolina Wesleyan held on Saturday at the Freeman Center for a 70-68 win over the Captains of Christopher Newport in USA South Athletic Conference action.

Junior guard Conley Taylor (Newport News) scored 19 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, and saw his potential game-tying three-point attempt with 13 seconds remaining go halfway down before coming back out.  The missed shot dashed the Captains hopes at a second-half comeback. CNU dropped to 13-7 overall, 6-2 in the USA South as North Carolina Wesleyan (15-6, 7-1) swept the regular season series with the Captains.

"We played hard and just came up short," head coach John Krikorian said after the game. "I was happy with our effort but we just didn't make enough shots."

Taylor not only led all scorers with 24 but also added five assists, four steals, three rebounds and a blocked shot in the game.

Senior Mike Green (Norfolk, Va.) scored 23 points and led the Captains with 13 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. 

"Conley and Mike were both warriors," Krikorian continued. "They put us in position to win the game, but again we just couldn't make enough shots in key moments."

CNU trailed at the half, 26-24, as both teams struggled from the field. The Captains made just 11 of 34 attempts in the first half while the Bishops were 10 of 36 from the floor.

The shooting improved dramatically in the second half leading to the exciting finish. The Captains trailed by as many as nine before storming back. Tra Benefield (Richmond, Va.) knocked down a three-pointer in the final minutes to tie the game, 64-64. North Carolina Wesleyan would then score the next five points to lead, 69-64.

The Captains continued to battle and cut the lead to three late. That's when Taylor's three-point shot to tie with 13 seconds left banged out allowing the Bishops to hang on.

CNU turned the ball over 19 times in the loss. Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field in the second half, and the Captains ended up out-rebounding the Bishops for the day, 47-40.

Junior Domarius Thomas led the North Carolina Wesleyan attack with 23 points, 17 in the second half. Freshman Josh Morrison scored 16 off the Bishops bench,. Junior Alex Murray posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Wesleyan's leading scorer for the season, junior Matt Dougherty, was held to just one of 12 shots for the day. His only field goal was a key second-half three-pointer for the Bishops.

The lead changed nine times in the conference battle, and the game was tied seven times. A crowd of 1,315 at the Freeman Center watched the Captains lose their second straight game.

CNU will play its final non-conference game of the season on Super Bowl Sunday. The Captains host Roanoke College (8-12, 4-8) at the Freeman Center in a 2 pm tipoff.