NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Junior Toa Hollenbeck set a new Freeman Center scoring record Wednesday night, pouring in 43 points to lead Christopher Newport University to an 86-77 victory over the University of Mary Washington. The victory was the tenth straight for the Captains, who improved to 18-3 on the season.

Hollenbeck, from Chesapeake, Va., posted 17 points in the opening half and then erupted for 26 in the second stanza as the 12th-ranked Captains held off the second-ranked Eagles, who had a nine-game winning streak snapped. Hollenbeck made 12-of-22 shots, including six-of-nine from long range, and was perfect at the foul line, converting all 13 attempts. It marked the largest scoring output by a CNU player since December of 2010, when Conley Taylor logged 44 points at Frostburg State. In addition to his 43-point performance, Hollenbeck also pulled down eight rebounds as the Captains improved to 11-1 this season at the Freeman Center.

"This was a total team effort," Hollenbeck said following the victory. "We defended well, and played really hard. We had a really good game plan coming into the game, and we were able to execute and do enough to win."

The physical battle saw the teams exchange the lead seven times, and was tied at halftime, 36-36. CNU took a 42-40 lead two minutes into the second half, and the Eagles were never able to re-gain the lead. The Captains upped their advantage to as many as 11, 65-54, on a jumper by freshman Cam Quarles midway through the second stanza. Mary Washington battled back, out-scoring the Captains 11-2 over the next five minutes to cut the lead to two, 67-65, with 5:38 to play.

The Captains re-gained momentum thanks to a quick layup by Hollenbeck that pushed the lead to four, and Christopher Newport then made its final 12 free throws down the stretch over the final 4:44 to put the game away.. For the night, the Captains made 22 of 30 at the charity stripe. 

"That was a really good battle and you can see just how good this Mary Washington team is," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "Even though their big scorers put up some good numbers, I thought we did a pretty good job defensively, and made enough plays at the offensive end to stay ahead of them. I know we'll have another great test when we see them again in ten days in Fredericksburg." 

The Captains, who have now won 17 of their last 18 games, out-rebounded UMW, 52-35, with senior Collin Hines leading the way with 13 boards. Junior point guard Tyson Henderson registered nine assists, seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. CNU blocked 11 shots taken by the Eagles.

Mary Washington fell to 18-2 with the loss, and the Eagles were led by Ulysses Young's 26 points and 25 from Kye Robinson. Christopher Newport now leads the all-time series with UMW, 43-8, and the Captains have won 24 of the last 26 games in the series.

Hollenbeck's big night marked the third-highest scoring performance in the 58-year history of the CNU program. Ted Berry holds the all-time school mark with 47 points scored at Salisbury in 1993, followed by Taylor's 44-point effort at Frostburg in 2010. Steve Artis also scored 43 for the Captains vs. Greensboro in 1992 at Ratcliffe Gymnasium, the former home of the Captains.

Christopher Newport returns to action next Wednesday when the Captains travel to Salisbury, Md., to take on the Sea Gulls of Salisbury University. Tip off time is set for 7:00 p.m. CNU will then play at Mary Washington on Saturday, February 14, in a 6:00 p.m. game.