
NEWPORT NEWS — Christopher Newport University never trailed on Saturday as the Captains returned home for the first time in 28 days. CNU, ranked 14th in the nation, won its third straight game by beating UC Santa Cruz, 76-57, at the Freeman Center. John Krikorian‘s team improved to 17-4 with the victory, while the Banana Slugs fell to 10-11.
Fifth-year senior All-American Jahn Hines and sophomore Toa Hollenbeck led the CNU attack with 17 points each. Sophomore Ethan Ward added 16 points, and junior Collin Hines registered his fourth double-double of the season by contributing ten points and ten rebounds.
“It was good to be back home, and I thought the atmosphere here today was just fantastic,” Krikorian said following the victory. “We did some really good things at both ends of the court, and our energy level was strong from the start.”
A crowd of 1,332 watched Christopher Newport jump to an early 8-0 lead, and the Captains later surged to a 14-point advantage, 20-6, in the opening half. After UCSC cut the lead to five, 27-22, with 5:45 to go until the intermission, the Captains rallied with an 11-6 run late to take a 38-28 lead to the locker room.
The Banana Slugs would get as close as two in the second half, 50-48, with just under 11 minutes to play, but could not pull even or gain the lead. CNU responded with a 10-0 run, beginning with a three-pointer from the corner from sophomore Hasan Hammad, and culminating with two layups by sophomore Jason Ofcarcik, that pushed the lead to a dozen, 60-48, with 8:18 to play. The Captains proceeded to pull away from the Slugs down the stretch en route to the 19-point final verdict.
“They got it down to two, but I thought at the time we were still playing pretty well,” Krikorian continued. “They made some big plays, but we were able to respond and hold the lead by making some big plays of our own.”
The Captains improved to 10-1 at home this season by holding UCSC to just 34 percent shooting (23 of 67) and just 13 percent (three of 23) from long range. The Slugs were 0-for-13 in the second half on three-point attempts. CNU shot 44 percent (27 of 61) for the game, and the Captains knocked down seven threes on 16 attempts, also at a 44 percent clip. Christopher Newport out-rebounded the Banana Slugs, 43-38, led by ten boards from Collin Hines and eight from Ofcarcik. Sophomore point guard Tyson Henderson dished out ten assists to go with his nine points and also made three steals for CNU.
UC Santa Cruz was led by center Joe Espy’s 17 points and 12 rebounds. The Slugs will play again at the Freeman Center on Sunday afternoon vs. the University of Mary Washington. Game time is set for 12:00 p.m., and admission is free for anyone wishing to attend the matchup of Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference teams.
The Captains have now won seven of eight games in the all-time series with UC Santa Cruz. Christopher Newport travels to Salisbury, Md., on Wednesday to take on the Sea Gulls of Salisbury University. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Maggs Center on the SU campus. Salisbury is 15-5 on the season following a Saturday home victory over Regent University, 109-50.
Christopher Newport has two home games remaining in the regular season, and will host Salisbury on Wednesday, February 12, at 7:00 p.m., and then will entertain Mary Washington on Senior Night on Saturday, February 15, at 6:00 p.m. at the Freeman Center. The Captains will conclude the regular season on Saturday, February 22 at Mary Washington in a 4:00 p.m. start.