NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University never trailed Saturday night as the 15th-ranked Captains Sailed into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament with a 90-61 home victory over Washington & Jefferson College. The Captains improved to 23-5 with the victory at the Freeman Center that propels CNU into the Sweet 16 for the 12th time in program history, and the sixth time in the last seven tournaments.

Junior Toa Hollenbeck led the Captains with an 18-point scoring effort, while senior Collin Hines registered a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Ethan Ward also reached double figures in scoring with 13 points, as the Captains held W&J to 36 percent shooting for the night.

"Our guys felt if we could keep the heat on them physically, then maybe they'd get a little worn down over time, and I think that happened tonight," Head Coach John Krkorian said following the victory. "I think we defended well for 40 minutes, and we really made it hard for them. We shared the ball well, had 25 assists as a team, and it all led to a really impressive second round victory." 

Christopher Newport jumped to an early 6-0 edge to start the game, and never relinquished the lead. After the Captains went up by 11, 25-14, the Presidents used a 14-3 run to cut the lead to one, 29-28. The Captains recovered and built the lead back to 11 at halftime, 43-32. The second half saw Christopher Newport pull away and the advantage swell to as many as 33 points en route to the 29-point final verdict.

"We made some careless fouls and turnovers that let them get back into the game in the first half," Krikorian continued. "After a time out, we settled down, and got back to basics and took care of the ball a bit better. I think by halftime we were able to get our momentum and confidence back, and that was a turning point for sure."  

The Captains connected on 49 percent of their shots (37-of-76), and held W&J to 20-of-55 for the night (36 percent). CNU held an impressive 53-29 advantage on the glass.

The double-double for Hines was his fifth of the season, and his 17-point performance matched a season-high for the lone senior on the Captains roster. Hollenbeck's 18-point performance gives him 1,261 career points in 87 career games as a Captain. Hollenbeck moved into 20th place on the CNU all-time scoring list, and is now 15 points behind Carl Haynes for 19th on the list.

Senior Matt Seidl led the Presidents with 18 points, as Washington & Jefferson saw its season come to a close with a 23-7 mark. The game was the first-ever of the programs. The Presidents had advanced to the second round with an opening round victory of Mount Union on Friday, 82-77.

Christopher Newport will advance to play Randolph-Macon College in the round of 16 next Friday or Saturday at a time and site to be determined. The Yellow Jackets, ranked fourth in the country, won at home Saturday night over TCNJ, 68-45, to advance to the round of 16. R-MC is now 27-3 on the season, and 14-0 at Crenshaw Gymnasium in Ashland, Va. The Yellow Jackets defeated the Captains at the Freeman Center on November 12th, 71-65, in CNU's home opener. The loss was the only home loss for CNU this season, as the Captains are now 15-1 this year at the Freeman Center.

This is Christopher Newport's 29th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the 58-year history of the program. The Captains improved their NCAA record to 39-27 with the victory over the Presidents. CNU won the National Championship in 2023, and has now won 12 of its last 15 NCAA games dating back to the 2021-2022 season.