LYNCHBURG, Va. - Christopher Newport fell to 6-1 on Sunday, dropping a 77-64 decision to host University of Lynchburg in the Wayne Proffitt Classic at Turner Gymnasium. The Hornets, now 7-0, surged to a 13-point lead at halftime, and the Captains could get no closer than five through the second half.

"I give Lynchburg a great deal of credit for the way they played today," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "They have a tremendous team and four senior starters, and played with great intensity and focus. I think we would have had to play a near perfect game to beat them today."

CNU, ranked 22nd in the nation, jumped to a 20-12 lead in the first half, but the Hornets caught fire and out-scored the Captains, 31-10, to establish a 43-30 lead at the break. Christopher Newport cut the lead to five, 49-44, thanks to a 14-6 run to start the second stanza, but couldn't cut the lead further.

Senior Marcus Carter again led the way for the Captains, posting 21 points and seven rebounds. Carter, 11th on the CNU all-time scoring list, now has 1,426 career points in 101 games played. He is just 53 points behind Mike Cherry for tenth place on the list. Sophomore Jason Aigner and freshman Elijah Bowens also reached double figures Sunday with ten points each. 

The Captains were out-rebounded for the first time this season, 43-32, by the Hornets. CNU was held to just 37 percent shooting for the day (22 of 59), and made just eight of 30 three-point attempts (27 percent). Christopher Newport also struggled at the foul stripe, converting just 12 of 21 attempts (57 percent).

"We've got to bounce back from this now and get ready for two big games coming up at home," Krikorian continued. "This ends a stretch of five games in nine days for us, and we've got almost a week now to focus on what we need to do to get better."

Lynchburg was led by seniors Devante Young and Austin Wrighten, who scored 16 points each. The Hornets made 20 of 24 foul shots for the day (83 percent), and knocked down 18 of 20 free throws (90 percent) in the second half, thwarting CNU's comeback bid. The Hornets have now won 13 of 21 games in the all-time series with the Captains.

The Captains return to the Freeman Center this Saturday, hosting Randolph-Macon in a 4:00 p.m. start. The Yellow Jackets are 9-0 to start the season, and play at Hampden-Sydney on Wednesday night before coming to the Freeman Center on Saturday.