NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University fifth-year senior All-American Jahn Hines didn't let the emotion of Senior Night affect his play Saturday night. Not even the retirement of his uniform number 22 prior to tip off got in the way of another sparkling performance from the Norfolk native, who led the 12th-ranked Captains to a 71-55 victory over the University of Mary Washington at the Freeman Center.

Hines provided another night of incredible entertainment for Captains fans by scoring exactly 22 points as CNU improved to 20-4 on the season. To make it even more memorable, he added a career-high 18 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. His brother, junior Collin Hines, also got in the act by scoring 14 points and pulling down 12 boards for his own double-double, his fifth of the year, as the Captains wrapped up their home schedule with a Freeman Center mark of 12-1.

"It's all surreal, I still don't believe it all happened," Hines said following the eventful evening in front of 1,561 Freeman faithful. "To give you the back story, I wore number 22 at Norview High School and that was my dad's number as well when he played basketball there. He passed away this past year, and this number honestly means way more to me than just a retired jersey. This is something that I share with my dad and I know he's proud of me and looking down on me. And it's something I can tell my kids someday...it's a legacy."

The retirement of Hines' jersey came just before tip off as CNU also honored fellow seniors Jamaal Madison and Christian Wilson. After trailing in the first minute of the game, the Captains opened an 8-2 lead and never fell behind again. Hines scored eight in the opening half as the Captains led the Eagles, 28-22, at the intermission. He went on to pour in 14 in the second half as CNU opened the lead to as many as, you guessed it, 22 points en route to the 16-point final verdict. He finished the night 10-of-21 from the field, and his 18 boards surpassed his previous career high of 15 set back in his first year as a Captain at Hampden-Sydney College in December of 2021.

"I'm just so happy for those three seniors, they deserve all of the credit," Head Coach John Krikorian said following the victory. "They're first class human beings and leaders as well as accomplished players...I just couldn't be happier for them. They helped us get out to a great start, and then carried us through. Toa Hollenbeck got into some foul trouble, so this was just the way the game was meant to be. These guys responded and played well."

Christian Wilson joined the Hines brothers in double figures for the Captains after making a start on Senior Night. Wilson scored 13 points, just two short of his career high, and knocked down three three-pointers, the only triples of the night for CNU. The senior trio of Madison, Wilson, and Jahn Hines has played on CNU teams that have compiled an overall record of 101-17 over the last four years, and captured an NCAA Division III Championship two seasons ago, the first-ever in program history.

The Captains shot 53 percent in the second half (18 of 34) to pull away, and held the Eagles to just 35 percent second half shooting (12 of 34). Christopher Newport out-rebounded UMW, 48-32, and the Eagles had just one player reach double figures as freshman Ulysses Young posted 15 points. The Eagles fell to 10-13 with the loss.

Hines became just the seventh player in the 57-year history of CNU men's basketball to have his jersey number retired, and the first since Antoine Sinclair's number 2 in 2001. Hines joins Sinclair as well as Lamont Strothers (42), Andy Waclawski (21), Steve Artis (23), Buck Moore (32), and James Boykins (34) on the list of retired numbers. With his 22-point performance, Hines has now scored 1,954 career points in 118 games as a Captain. The three-time All-American is now 23 points shy of Artis for second place on CNU's all-time scoring list.

With the win, Christopher Newport reached the 20-win mark for the tenth straight season and the 12th time in 14 years under Krikorian's leadership. The victory was the 13th straight over Mary Washington, and the Captains now hold a 41-7 advantage in the all-time series with the Eagles. The teams will meet next Saturday, February 22nd, at Ron Rosner Arena on the Mary Washington campus to conclude the regular season. Tip off time is set for 4:00 p.m. 

"I think we're peaking at the right time, and playing well," Krikorian concluded. "But we're still leaving something on the table. I'm excited at where we're going to be able to go, but right now this is all about our seniors and enjoying all they've done for us."