NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University concluded the month of November on Sunday with an 80-66 victory over Pfeiffer University at the Freeman Center. The Captains, now 5-2, won for the fourth straight time and dropped the Falcons of Pfeiffer to 4-5 on the season. The game came in the Holiday INNvitational, the annual two-day tournament on the CNU campus.

Junior transfer Zyir Baskerville led the way for CNU, recording his first double-double as a Captain with 25 points and ten rebounds. Junior Toa Hollenbeck added 18 points, and junior Tyson Henderson also reached double digits in scoring with 11. Baskerville and Hollenbeck both came off the bench as CNU out-scored Pfeiffer in bench points, 51-7.

"I was a lot more pleased with our defensive effort tonight, I thought we were more locked in," Head Coach John Krikorian said following the win. "A lot of the points Pfeiffer scored, they really had to earn, and I was also happy with our rebounding effort. I would have liked for us to finish a little more, it seemed like there was a lid on the basket for a while, but credit to Pfeiffer and their big men who really impacted some of our decisions around the basket."

Christopher Newport rallied from behind early in the first half, using an 18-5 run to erase a five-point deficit. CNU went to the locker room with a four-point lead at the intermission, 35-31.

The second half saw the Falcons surge in front, taking a six-point lead, 54-48, with 11:24 to play. Again, the Captains responded in a big way on their home floor, scoring 15 straight points over the next four minutes to hold a 63-54 advantage and coast to the 14-point triumph. The Captains made 19 of 36 shots in the second half for 53 percent shooting after making just 13 of 35 attempts (37 percent) in the opening half. CNU also out-rebounded the Falcons, 53-35, for the day.

"We played with more urgency in the second half," Krikorian continued. "Once we got them on the ropes a little bit, some lanes opened up. We've been waiting for Zair Baskerville to have a breakout opportunity like this, and you saw what he is capable of doing with his performance today."

Hollenbeck was selected to the All-Tournament team along with Luis Ruiz of Dickinson, Doug Smith of Pfeiffer, and Omari DeVeaux of Virginia Wesleyan.

Christopher Newport will begin its December schedule on Wednesday, traveling to Arlington, Va., to take on Marymount University. Tip off time is set for 7:00 p.m.