NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The lead exchanged hands 20 times Wednesday night as Christopher Newport University and Johns Hopkins University staged an epic Top 25 showdown at the Freeman Center. When the dust settled, the Captains, ranked 20th in the nation, held off the 24th-ranked Blue Jays, 68-65, improving to 14-3 on the season. The triumph was the sixth straight for John Krikorian's squad, and the 13th in the last 14 games for CNU.

Junior Toa Hollenbeck led the way for Christopher Newport, scoring 18 points with 11 coming in the second half. Senior Collin Hines and junior Ryan Derderian each logged ten points as the Captains upped their home record this season to 7-1.

"It was awesome and so much fun to coach these guys as they put it all on the line," Krikorian said following the victory. "It was a shame somebody had to lose because I think both teams made enough plays to win the game. There were so many great defensive stops and effort plays, and thankfully we were able to be on the positive side."

The Captains held a 34-33 edge at the intermission following a first half that saw the teams exchange the lead four times. CNU registered its biggest lead of the game, 31-23, with just over four minutes to go in the half, but Johns Hopkins used a 10-0 run to take a 33-31 advantage. Freshman Tyler Sprague knocked down a three-pointer with 14 seconds remaining, sending the teams to the locker rooms separated by just one point.

The second half saw the teams battle back-and-forth, with the lead seesawing a remarkable 16 times. The Captains jumped in front, 64-63, on a jumper by Hines with 4:25 remaining, marking the 20th and final lead change of the game. CNU took a 66-63 lead on a jumper by junior Zyir Baskerville with 3:33 to play, and then held on for the victory despite not scoring another field goal the rest of the way. Baskerville sank two free throws with four ticks left to account for the 68-65 final score. In all, the two teams scored just six points over the final four minutes and 25 seconds.  

"Every game presents a different challenge," Krikorian continued. "We felt like we were doing the right things down the stretch, but the ball wouldn't go in the basket. We had some uncharacteristic turnovers, but we were able to get stops when we needed to and did enough good things to get the win." 

Charlie Jackson led the way for the Blue Jays, who fell to 9-3, with 17 points, followed by 16 from Wyatt Eglinton-Manner. The victory was the fifth straight for the Captains in the series with the Jays. CNU now holds a 6-1 edge in the all-time series, and is 4-0 at the Freeman Center against JHU.

"You only get so many opportunities to play Top 25 teams," Krikorian said. "We had some early in the season that we squandered, we just weren't ready to beat Randolph-Macon, Catholic, and Emory, and those stack up against you. You've got to find a way to get some quality wins, and certainly this one will help us."

The Captains made 28 of 59 shots (.475) for the night, and four-of-ten from long range. CNU did not get to the foul line in the opening half, but made eight-of-ten in the second half at the charity stripe. Christopher Newport held a 37-33 edge on the boards, with juniors Ethan Ward and Baskerville each pulling down eight rebounds.

Christopher Newport now has a ten day break before seeing action again. The Captains will host East Texas Baptist at the Freeman Center on Saturday, January 17th, with tip off set for 4:00 p.m. CNU will then play another Texas school, Mary-Hardin Baylor, on Sunday, January 18th, also at 4:00 p.m. at the Freeman Center.

Wednesday's victory concluded a stretch of five games in ten days for the Captains, who have now played 17 of their schedule's 25 regular season games.

"I don't know if anyone else in the country has played 17 games to this point," Krikorian concluded. "What we've been able to do in some really physical environments is truly outstanding. Now we'll have some time to get rested and get healthy, which we're really looking forward to."