YORK, Pa. - Christopher Newport led for most of the afternoon Saturday, but a driving layup by York College junior guard Jared Wagner with five seconds left gave the Spartans an 82-81 victory over the Captains. CNU had a five-game winning streak snapped and the Captains are now 16-3 overall and 6-2 in the Capital Athletic Conference. 

York erased an 11-point CNU lead in the first half, and held a 48-47 edge at the intermission following a high-scoring opening stanza. The Captains then surged ahead by as many as 13 in the second half before the Spartans whittled away the lead in the final minutes. York senior guard Jason Bady led all scorers with 30 points, while Wagner posted 28. A crowd of 1,090 watched junior Cutch Ellis lead the way for the Captains with 18 points, with 16 coming in the second half. Sophomore Jason Aigner added 16, and junior Dalon McHugh and freshman Elijah Bowens each came off the bench to score 11.

"I am really proud of how we played today and I thought it was an incredible college basketball game," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "We can't let what happened in the final two minutes erase all that we did in the first 38 minutes. We got some great performances today, and we need to move forward and not dwell on the result."

Christopher Newport shot 50 percent from the field (27 of 54) and knocked down 10 of 22 three-point attempts (46 percent). The Captains were hurt by late turnovers and missed foul shots down the stretch that fueled the York comeback effort.

York was able to win at Charles Wolf Gymnasium despite shooting just 44 percent for the day, and being out-rebounded by the Captains, 35-33. Ellis and fellow junior Nick Parks each pulled down eight rebounds to lead CNU.

The Spartans got to the foul stripe 35 times Saturday, making 28 free throws. CNU was 17 of 28 at the stripe (61 percent).

CNU defeated York at the Freeman Center on January 2nd, 73-71, in the first meeting of the schools this season. The two games were decided by a total of three points. CNU now leads the all-time series with the Spartans, 11-4.

Saturday's action in the CAC, which included a loss by Mary Washington to Frostburg State, leaves CNU, York, and Mary Washington tied for the conference's top spot with 6-2 league marks.

"We said it early in the year and it's still true," Krikorian continued. "Every team in this league is dangerous and capable of beating you on any given night. We're going to get back to work and start getting ready for St. Mary's."

CNU was without senior Marcus Carter Saturday at York. Carter, the ninth all-time scorer in program history, suffered a bruised knee in Wednesday's home victory over Salisbury, and his status will be re-evaluated on a day-to-day basis.

 Christopher Newport returns to action Wednesday night in St. Mary's City, Md., against the Seahawks of St. Mary's College. Game time is set for 8:00 p.m.