HOBOKEN, NJ - For the third straight year and the seventh time in program history, the Captains of Christopher Newport are heading to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship. John Krikorian's squad won for the second straight day at Canavan Arena in Hoboken on Saturday, dismissing Nichols College, 91-82, in a second round matchup. 

The Captains, who are making their fifth straight NCAA appearance and 24th overall, raced to a 50-41 lead at halftime and held off the Bison to improve to 23-6 on the season. Christopher Newport will play Hobart (NY) Friday in an NCAA Sectional at a site and time to be determined.

"I can't say enough about our team and how hard we worked tonight," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "We did a great job on the boards and shot pretty well. It's about the seniors, and we've got six who have had quite a run here...I'm glad it's going to continue."

The first half started as a back-and-forth battle, with Nichols leading by as many as six with 11:49 to go in the half. The Captains used an 8-0 run to re-claim the lead and never trailed again all night. Christopher Newport's biggest margin was 13 three minutes into the second half, 60-47. Nichols rallied to cut the lead but could get no closer than four points the rest of the way.

Christopher Newport out-rebounded the Bison by a 55-33 margin, including 23-10 on the offensive glass. The Captains also scored 29 second-chance points to just eight for Nichols, who finished the season with a 21-9 record.

"We just couldn't seem to pull away tonight, and that tells you how good Nichols is," Krikorian continued. "We had them on the ropes and they looked tired, but they just kept battling and made it so tough for us. I have great respect for their players and the whole program."

The Captains had four players reach double figures, and two recorded double-doubles. Freshman Ian Anderson, who sat out Friday's victory over Colby in the opening round, registered a career-high 21 points and pulled down ten rebounds off the bench. Senior Cutch Ellis scored 14 and posted 13 boards. Both Anderson and Ellis tallied five of their rebounds at the offensive end.

Senior Luther Gibbs filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and a steal. Junior Jason Aigner knocked down five three pointers and finished with 19 points and also wrapped up six rebounds. Aigner became the all-time three-point leader in Christopher Newport history with his first of the night and now has 271 in 91 games played. He has moved into 28th place on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,096 career points. 

The Captains made 32 of 74 shots overall for 43 percent shooting, but shot 50 percent from long range by making 12 of 24 three-point tries. Nichols was 30 of 71 from the field for 42 percent and knocked down 14 three-pointers on 34 attempts for 41 percent. The Bison was led by seniors DeAnte Bruton and Kash Jackson who scored 23 points each. 

The game was the first ever between the schools, and the victory now gives the Captains a 24-24 all-time record in NCAA games. In addition to seven Sweet 16 trips, Christopher Newport has advanced to the Elite 8 three times and the Final Four twice, with both appearances coming in the last four years.

A crowd of just 113 watched the Captains advance on a neutral court over the Bison. Host school, Stevens Institute of Technology, was knocked out by Nichols in the opening round on Friday.

"We had a great group of fans here just like we always do," Senior Cutch Ellis said. "Everywhere we play we get great support and we're so happy to see it."

Christopher Newport is expected to learn the location and time for next Friday's game with Hobart sometime on Sunday. The Captains have never played Hobart in the 53-year history of the program. Return to CNUsports.com on Sunday for more information on next week's game when it becomes available.