SALISBURY, Md. - Christopher Newport University battled from behind for much of the afternoon Friday in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference tournament semifinal against UC Santa Cruz. The Captains, the top seed in the four-team tournament,  rallied in the second half and held off the upset-minded Banana Slugs, 84-78, at the Maggs Center on the Salisbury University campus. The victory was the eighth straight for John Krikorian's squad, and the 13th in the last 14 games for the three-time defending C2C Champions.

Christopher Newport will play the University of Mary Washington on Saturday night in the Championship game of the tournament at the Maggs Center. Tip off time is set for 7:00 p.m. The Eagles ousted the host school, Salisbury, in the other semifinal Friday afternoon, 60-50. 

All five Christopher Newport starters scored in double figures, led by fifth-year senior All-American Jahn Hines, who tallied 17 points and became just the second player in the 57-year history of CNU men's basketball to reach the 2,000-point mark. Hines made eight-of-ten free throws, including his last five attempts, to help seal the win for the Captains. He has now scored 2,003 career points, and also set a new conference record for career points, surpassing York College (Pa.) standout Andy O'Brien, who finished his career with 2,001 points.

"It's always an incredibly competitive battle when we play UC Santa Cruz, and I think Matt Malone does a tremendous job," Krikorian said following the win. "We had some adversity early, but when it really counted we made some big defensive stops, and some big plays to win the game. It takes a lot of little things to win a game like this, like Christian Wilson, the smallest guy on the floor, making a key rebound. We did just enough to survive and win a playoff game."

The teams were never separated by more than eight points, and the game featured 14 ties and 11 lead changes. The Captains, who improved to 22-4 with the victory, jumped to an early eight-point lead, 12-4, before the Slugs erupted for a 16-2 run to take a 20-14 lead. UCSC upped its lead to eight, 35-27, with 2:12 to play in the first half only to see the Captains conclude the period with an 8-2 run to cut the lead to two at the break, 37-35.

The second half saw the Captains and Banana Slugs continue their back-and-forth battle, with the teams never more than five points apart until the final two-and-a-half minutes. UC Santa Cruz upped its lead to five, 63-58, on a layup by Zino Okah with nine minutes remaining. CNU answered with a 12-2 run,  and took a five-point edge, 70-65, thanks to two free throws from sophomore Tyson Henderson with 5:22 to go. Down the stretch, the Slugs were able to pull as close as two, but could not tie the game or take the lead again. The Captains made their final ten shots at the foul line, and finished the game 33-of-43 at the charity stripe for 77 percent shooting.

Junior Collin Hines and sophomore Toa Hollenbeck gave the Captains a lift in each half. Collin Hines scored ten of his 14 points in the first half, and Hollenbeck posted all 14 of his points in the second half, including a seven-for-eight effort at the foul stripe. Tyson Henderson (13) and Ethan Ward (11) also recorded double-digit scoring performances for Christopher Newport.

"We got them in foul trouble early in the second half, and I think our guys realized they were having a hard time defending us," Krikorian continued. "Collin and Toa did a tremendous job and really gave us the scoring lift we were in need of."

The Captains also excelled on the glass, out-rebounding the Slugs, 43-35, with Collin Hines and sophomore Isaiah Dozier leading the Captains with seven boards each.

Even though Jahn Hines struggled from the field, making just five of 14 shots, his eight-of-ten performance at the foul stripe all came in the second half. He also filled his stat line with four rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Only Lamont Strothers (2,709) and Jahn Hines have scored more than 2,000 career points in CNU history.

UCSC was led by graduate student Ian McCloskey's 19 points, and Okah and junior Caden Breznikar added 13 each. Sophomore Miles Burrows also reached double figures with a dozen points as the Slugs finished the season with a 12-13 record. CNU now holds an 8-1 all-time lead in the series with UCSC.

Christopher Newport will be meeting Mary Washington in the title game of the tournament for the fourth straight season. The Captains have won the last three since the formation of the C2C, including a 62-56 victory last year when the Eagles hosted the tournament in Fredericksburg. CNU won both games this season with the Eagles, recording a 71-55 victory at the Freeman Center on February 15th and a 72-58 win in Fredericksburg last Saturday. The Captains are 42-7 all-time vs. UMW, and have won 14 straight games and 23 of the last 24 in the series.