HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. - Christopher Newport University is heading to its fourth straight Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament thanks to a 72-59 victory Saturday night at Hampden-Sydney College. The Captains, ranked second in the nation, will advance to play Mary Hardin-Baylor next Friday, March 10th, at a site and time to be determined.

Fifth-year senior Rodney Graves came off the bench to score a game-high 19 points, including four three-pointers, to lead the Captains. Graves converted his last five free throw attempts in the final two minutes to help put the game away. Junior Trey Barber registered his second straight double-double, scoring 15 points and pulling down 15 rebounds. Junior Jahn Hines posted 18 points and fifth-year senior Matthew Brodie also reached double figures with 12 points.

"This was a tremendous effort tonight, I thought our guys really came out and showed great energy," Head Coach John Krilorian said. "Last night we talked a lot about trusting each other, and we really played together tonight as a team. We're so excited to be back in the Sweet 16."

Christopher Newport, now 26-3 and riding an 11-game winning streak, fell behind early, 6-1, and trailed for most of the opening half. The Captains took their first lead, 17-16, on a put-back by Barber with 7:19 to play in the half. Freshman Collin Hines knocked down a triple with 5:18 remaining in the half to give CNU a 20-18 advantage, one they would not relinquish the rest of the night. The Captains would go on to take a four-point lead at the intermission, 28-24, and opened the second stanza with an 11-3 run to up the margin to a dozen, 39-27. The lead was later stretched to as many as 19, 55-36, with 6:37 left to play, but H-SC could get no closer than 11 down the stretch.

CNU's defense held Hampden-Sydney to 31 percent shooting for the night, as the Tigers made just 23-of-74 shots. The Captains held a 51-41 edge on the boards, and drained eight three-pointers on 27 attempts.

Graves, whose 19 points were the only CNU bench points in the game, made seven-of-ten at the foul stripe and also connected on four-of-eight attempts from behind the arc. He also added seven rebounds and two steals. Barber made five-of-six shots and blocked five attempts by the Tigers.  

The Tigers, who finished the year with a 22-7 record, were led by 15 points from junior DJ Wright, and a 14-point, 11-rebound effort by junior Davidson Hubbard. With the victory, CNU avenged an 85-70 loss to the Tigers back on December 13th at the Freeman Center.

Christopher Newport will be playing Mary Hardin-Baylor for the first time ever when they clash Friday in the Sweet 16. This is CNU's seventh-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and the 26th in the 55-year history of the program. 

Official details on the site of next weekend's Sweet 16 game will be announced on Sunday.