CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Christopher Newport University had its four-game winning streak snapped Thursday night, as the 18th-ranked Captains fell to 11th-ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 70-68. The loss came on the opening day of the Jay Bilas Classic at Queens University’s Curry Arena.
Wisconsin-Stevens Point erased a 15-point first half CNU lead, and held off the 18th-ranked Captains in a physical battle. The game came down to a last-second Christopher Newport three-point attempt that was off the mark, and the Pointers held on and improved to 9-0 with the victory, while the Captains fell to 9-3.
“We were tremendous on the glass, played extremely hard, and made our free throws…but just came up short,” Head Coach John Krikorian said. “We’re going to use this as a learning experience and take a lot from this game. This group continues to put everything they have out there every time they step on the floor, and for that I couldn’t be prouder.”
The Captains surged to first half leads of 26-11 and later 28-13 before UW-Stevens Point used a 14-6 run late in the first half to cut the advantage to seven at the break, 32-25. The Pointers continued the comeback early in the second half with an 11-3 run, grabbing the lead for the first time, 36-35, on a bucket from sophomore Cal Krohn with 16:28 remaining. The Captains bounced back with a 17-8 run of their own to go up by eight, 52-44. The Pointers chipped away down the stretch, pulling even at 64-64 and moments later at 66-66. UWSP took the lead for good, 68-66, on a layup by sophomore Logan Baumgartner with 1:54 remaining, and held off the Captains thanks to the last-second miss from long range.UW-Stevens Point never held a lead of more than three in the hard-fought clash.
Sophomore Toa Hollenbeck led the way for Christopher Newport with 16 points off the bench. Fifth-year senior All-American Jahn Hines also reached double digits with 11 points. The Captains got 40 of their 68 total points from their bench, and junior Collin Hines (9 points) and sophomore Hasan Hammad (8 points) tallied 15 of their 17 combined points after halftime.
CNU out-rebounded UWSP, 37-22, with Jahn Hines leading the way with eight boards. Senior Malik Abdul-Wahid led the Pointers with 16 points and was one of four UWSP players to reach double figures in scoring.
CNU returns to action on Friday afternoon at 5:00 p.m., as the Captains take on the Blue Jays of Elmhurst University (Ill.). The game again will be played at Curry Arena, and will be the final game for the Captains before the holiday break. Elmhurst is 4-6 on the year following a 71-43 loss to Randolph-Macon College in the opening game of the Jay Bilas Classic in Charlotte on Thursday.
“Elmhurst will be fired up to play us, so we’re going to have to turn the page quickly,” Krikorian continued. “We’re going to have to do some preparation, get some rest, and be ready to go.”
Following Friday’s game in Charlotte, the Captains will have an eight-day holiday break before hosting the Captains Shootout at the Freeman Center on December 29 and 30.
