NEWPORT NEWS — Christopher Newport University’s second half comeback fell just short Saturday night, as Roanoke College edged the Captains, 77-75, to advance in the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament. Senior Joshua McClary’s 17-footer with 4.4 seconds remaining proved to be the difference, as fifth-year senior Jahn Hines’ last-second driving layup attempt missed the mark, sending the Maroons to the Sweet 16 to play Catholic University next Friday.
Jahn Hines, a three-time All-American and three-time conference Player of the Year, saw his remarkable career come to a close after 123 games as a Captain. He recorded his second straight double-double by scoring 32 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. It marked his sixth double-double of the season, and the fifth time this year he posted 30 or more points for the Captains. Hines ends his career with 2,086 points, second only to Lamont Strothers’ 2,709 points scored from 1987-1991.
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Christopher Newport’s season came to a close with a record of 23-6, while Roanoke improved to 25-5 with the victory. The defeat in the second round game ends a four-year streak of trips to the national quarterfinals for the Captains.
The Maroons jumped to an early lead and never trailed in the game, leading by as many as 19 in the opening half. After the Captains trimmed the advantage to 12 at the half, 46-34, Roanoke pushed the differential back up to 17 points several times in the second stanza and maintained the lead until the Captains finally pulled even with just 14 seconds left on a Jahn Hines layup to even the score at 75-75.
The tie game would last for just ten seconds as McClary took the in-bounds pass and raced up the court, hitting what proved to be the game-winner, giving him a team-high 22 points. Three other Maroons reached double digits, as senior Joshua Morse scored 14, sophomore Jackson Bell tallied 12, and junior Marcus Morgan scored ten.
The Captains had two other players reach double figures, as junior Collin Hines and sophomore Toa Hollenbeck each finished with a dozen points.
Jahn Hines scored 15 of his 32 in the opening half, and logged 17 after the break. He made 16-of-20 free throws, and also contributed three steals and two assists.Hines’ 32-point performance sets a new school record for points scored in an NCAA game, breaking Strothers’ mark of 31 points scored vs. Emory & Henry on March 2, 1991.
The Maroons were held to 38 percent shooting in the second half by the Captains after making 46 percent of their shots in the opening half. CNU struggled from the field, converting just 37 percent of its shots for the night, including just two of 15 three-point attempts.
The game was the eighth all-time in the series with Roanoke, and the series is now even at 4-4. It marked the second all-time meeting in the NCAA Tournament. The Captains recorded an 84-54 win over the Maroons in March of 2001 in the first-ever NCAA game played in the Freeman Center.
The trip to the NCAA Tournament was the ninth-straight for the Captains, the longest current streak in Division III, and the 28th in program history. Christopher Newport is now 37-27 all-time in NCAA play.
