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YORK, Pa. -- The Christopher Newport men's basketball team picked up it's third straight win and sixth in seven games this season as it went on the road to take on York College (Pa.). The Captains (6-1, 1-0) won its first ever Capital Athletic Conference game by a final score of 63-60, while leading almost the entire game. The Spartans fall to 1-6 overall, 0-3 in the CAC.

Senior Tra Benefield just missed his third straight double-double, scoring a game-high 22 points and hauling in a game-high nine rebounds. The Captains didn't have another player in double figures, getting scoring contributions from all but one player in the contest. 

CNU used a barrage of three-pointers in the first half to build a 12-point lead at the break. Benefield hit three from long range, while Mike Cherry, Maurice Simon and Kevin Regimbal each added one. Regimbal's beat the buzzer after an offensive rebound for CNU and extended the lead to 33-31. 

The offensive glass was key for Christopher Newport, especially in the first half. CNU held a dominant 15-2 advantage in second-chance points, including Regimbal's trey, thanks to grabbing 13 offensive rebounds in the first half. Overall, the Captains outrebounded the Spartans 23-10 in the opening stanza, and held York to just 19 attempts from the field. 

After halftime, the Captains built the lead to a game-high 18 less than two minutes out of the locker room. Sophomore Connor Laframboise hit a pair of three-pointers on two of the Captains first three possessions to give CNU a dominant 41-23 advantage.

The lead would stay in double figures until there were less than five minutes left in the game. A cold streak from CNU down the stretch would give York some hope at a comeback, but with less than two minutes to go and the lead down to six, the senior leader came up with his fourth trey of the game. Benefield hit the jumper off an assist by Cherry with 1:51 to go, extending CNU's lead back to nine, 61-52. 

The Spartans' comeback would run out of steam in the final two minutes, as senior Luc Atangana hit two key free throws with six seconds left on the clock. As a team, CNU shot just 45% from the charity stripe (9-20), but Atangana was 2-for-2 in his crucial trip to the line. Joey Feinberg would hit a three with one second remaining, but that would prove the final score, at 63-60. 

Benefield was the only Captain to hit more than three shots in the game, going 9-for-19 from the field, including a 4-for-9 performance from long range. Laframboise added eight points, while Cherry and Atangana each had seven. 

Three Spartans were in double figures, as Ryan Beaver had 15 points, with three three-pointers, Mike Mathews added 11 and Feinberg 10. 

CNU's rebounding advantage would finish at +10 (40-30), with 18 boards on the offensive side. The Captains finished with 20 second-chance points.

Head coach John Krikorian and the Captains will stay out on the road for their next contest, challenging one of the nation's top programs on the road at No. 10 Virginia Wesleyan. The Marlins are undefeated, posting a 7-0 start to the season and will host the Captains at 2:00 pm next Sunday, December 15.