Postgame: Coach Krikorian Interview | Press Conference with Media | CNU Highlights | Photo Gallery



FORT WAYNE, IN. - Christopher Newport University advanced to the Division III Men's Basketball National Championship game on Thursday, winning a hard-fought battle over Swarthmore, 69-66, at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. The victory, the 14th straight for CNU, advances the Captains to Saturday's title game against Mount Union (OH), who defeated Wisconsin-Whitewater in the second semifinal game, 83-79.

The Captains trailed by four at the intermission, 30-26, but surged ahead early in the second half and held off the stubborn Garnet, who finished the season with a 28-4 mark.The Captains are now 8-0 this season when trailing at halftime.

Junior All-American Jahn Hines led the way with 22 points, and went over the 1,000-point mark for his career during a dominant second half that saw him score 18 points. Junior Trey Barber tallied 21 points as the Captains improved to 29-3 on the season. Hines also recorded a team-high eight rebounds, while Barber brought down seven and also rejected three shots.

"It's surreal, it really is," Head Coach John Krikorian said following the victory. "Such a great battle, exactly what we expected from a terrific team like Swarthmore, and now we get to play for a championship. Our guys just wouldn't be denied, and I think we showed in the second half what we're made of."

Christopher Newport out-scored Swarthmore in the second stanza, 43-36, and tied the game at 34-34 on a Jahn Hines free throw with 16:56 to play. The Captains took a 37-34 lead when sophomore Ty Henderson drained a three-pointer 20 seconds later, and would not trail again. CNU built the lead to as many as nine, 60-51, with 4:29 to go only to have the Garnet battle back and tie the game at 64-64 with 1:46 remaining. Despite missing five foul shots in the final two minutes, and not recording a field goal in the final 3:38, the Captains managed to hang on by holding the Garnet to just four points in the final two minutes.

Hines became the 34th CNU men's player to record 1,000 or more points when he knocked down a contested fade-away ten-footer midway through the second half. The Norfolk native made seven-of-12 shots after halftime after converting just one-of-five in the opening half.

Swarthmore out-rebounded the Captains, 39-27, with Michael Caprise pulling down a game-high 12 boards. The Garnet was led by 23 points from Vinny DeAngelo, and 21 from George Visconti.

The Captains, who are playing in their seventh-straight NCAA Tournament and 26th all-time, will play for the National Championship for the first time ever. CNU had twice before reached the semifinals, but lost to Benedictine in 2016, and Swarthmore in 2019. This marks the second time in the 55-year history of the program the Captains have reached the 29-win mark. CNU registered a 29-4 final record in the 2018-19 season that saw them advance to the National semifinals. CNU has once recorded 30 wins, the most ever in program history, in a 30-2 campaign that saw Krikorian's team advance to the Final Four for the first time to conclude the 2015-16 season.

Saturday's meeting with Mount Union will be the first-ever for the Captains and Purple Raiders. Mount Union is 30-2 following its win over Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The men's basketball team will be playing for the third National Championship for Christopher Newport in the past 16 months. The CNU women's soccer and softball squads both captured national titles during the 2021-22 academic year.

Tickets for Saturday's National Championship can be purchased by clicking on the link below. Enter the offer code CAPTAINS.
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