NEWPORT NEWS — Exactly one week after posting a 12-point road victory at Salisbury University, the 12th-ranked Christopher Newport University squad endured an even tougher battle with the Sea Gulls Wednesday night at the Freeman Center. After trailing for most of the night, the Captains finally pulled ahead with just over five minutes to go and held off the upset-minded Sea Gulls, 67-65.
The victory was the fifth straight for John Krikorian‘s squad, and the tenth in the last 11 games. The Captains are now 19-4, while Salisbury fell to 15-8 with its third straight defeat.
“I told the guys before the game that it’s February basketball now, and it doesn’t matter who or where you’re playing, you’re going to get everybody’s best shot,” Krikorian said following the victory. “Credit to Salisbury, they were a man down and they played inspired basketball while we were on our heels for a while. We got some great efforts in the second half, especially from Ryan Derderian and Toa Hollenbeck, and that was the difference.”
Hollenbeck and Derderian, both sophomores who came off the bench, combined to score 21 points, with all of it coming in the second half, as the Captains surged ahead. Hollenbeck finished with 11, while Derderian matched his career high with ten points. CNU was led by 14 points from fifth-year senior All-American Jahn Hines, and junior Collin Hines also reached double digits, scoring 13 points before leaving the game in the second half due to injury.
Salisbury, playing without injured point guard Brendan Davis, broke a 7-7 early tie by going on a 13-2 first half run to open a 20-9 lead. The Gulls then enjoyed a 10-2 run to open their biggest lead of the game, 32-18, with just over five minutes to play in the opening stanza. The Captains bounced back with a 12-2 run of their own and cut the lead at the intermission to four, 34-30.
The Sea Gulls opened the second half by scoring the first six points to take a 40-30 lead. Christopher Newport then used a 10-3 run to cut the advantage to three, 45-42, with Hollenebck knocking down a three-pointer with 12:27 remaining to conclude the run for his first points of the game. Hollenbeck would again cut the Salisbury lead to three, 50-47, with a layup with 8:16 left on the clock. It was then Derderian’s time to shine, as the sophomore scored four of his five baskets in a three-minute stretch that saw the Captains surge ahead of the Sea Gulls. CNU took a 55-53 lead on a layup by Jahn Hines with 5:09 to play, and the Captains would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way.
Despite shooting just 50 percent at the line for the night (12 of 24), the Captains managed to put the game away by converting five of their last six free throw attempts in the final two minutes. Hollenbeck made three-of-four and sophomore Tyson Henderson knocked down two at the charity stripe to help seal the victory.
CNU’s defense held Salisbury to just 25 percent shooting in the second half (eight-of-32), and the Captains out-rebounded the Gulls in the second half, 30-21, for a 47-38 advantage for the night. Sophomore Ethan Ward led the Captains on the boards with ten, while Jahn Hines posted nine to go with his 14 points.
“We got some key stops down the stretch, and I thought Jahn Hines played a great defensive game,” Krikorian continued. “We were able to withstand an amazing effort from Jordan Oates, who found a way most of the time even though we were giving him a lot of attention. He’s a terrific player, and can take over a game at any point.”
Oates, a graduate student, recorded a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Sea Gulls. Senior Reed Rebstock (16) and senior Kedrick Frink (10) also reached double figures in scoring for SU.
The Captains are now 11-1 at home this season, and will play their final regular season home game on Saturday, hosting the Eagles of the University of Mary Washington. Tip off is set for 6:00 p.m. at the Freeman Center, and Senior Day ceremonies will take place prior to the game.
“Mary Washington may very well be the best 9-12 team in the country,” Krikorian continued. “Their record really doesn’t reflect just how strong they are…they’ve lost a lot of very close games to very good teams. Their efficiency rating is off the charts at both ends of the floor, and they’ve really found their confidence over the last month. We’re going to have our hands full.”
Mary Washington will play at Eastern Mennonite on Thursday before traveling to Newport News to take on the Captains on Saturday. The game had been scheduled for Wednesday evening, but was re-scheduled due to weather concerns.
