VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Two very different halves of basketball Thursday night led to Virginia Wesleyan University defeating Christopher Newport University, 77-76, on a layup at the buzzer. The Marlins, now 11-1, trailed the Captains by 18 at halftime, 43-25, but out-scored CNU in the second half, 52-32, to record the thrilling one-point victory.

Junior All-American Jahn Hines scored on a short jumper with four seconds left to give the Captains the advantage, 76-75, but sophomore Omari DeVeaux raced downcourt in the final four seconds and scored on a layup to give the Marlins their fifth straight victory. DeVeaux led all scorers with 27 points, with 20 coming in the second half fueling the Marlins comeback bid. Hines topped the Captains with 24 points, as top-ranked Christopher Newport lost for the second time in a three-day span.

"It was a great college basketball game," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "Unfortunately, we again didn't do enough to win. We are lacking in several areas, and it's not about talent, it's more about maturity. We have to learn from the mistakes, and grow as a team. You don't just show up and expect to win, you have to work for it." 

The Captains got off to a great start, breaking open the game in the opening half and cruising to a 43-25 halftime edge. CNU went up by as many as 20 points, 50-30, with 17:45 to play. The Marlins, however, could not be put away and scorched the nets, converting on 14 of their first 17 shots from the field after the intermission. VWU kept chipping away, and eventually pulled even at 73-73 with 1:10 to go. Fifth-year senior Matthew Brodie, who recorded 17 points, went to the foul stripe with 54 seconds left and converted one of two shots to put the Captains back ahead, 74-73. The Marlins then took the lead with 29 ticks remaining on two free throws by DeVeaux, re-claiming the lead for the first time since they led 6-4 with 17:14 to play in the first half. Hines' bucket with just over four seconds left would prove to be not enough as DeVeaux raced down the floor and proved to be the hero.

Virginia Wesleyan ended up making 21of 27 shots in the second half (78 percent), and made 32 of 54 for the game (59 percent). The Captains enjoyed a great first half, making 19 of 31 shots (61 percent), but knocked down just 12 of 25 after halftime to finish 31 of 56 (55 percent). The Captains held a 26-25 edge on the boards, and senior Jake Latta led the squad with six rebounds, and also reached double figures with 11 points. Sophomore Amarion Wilson of the Marlins led all rebounders for the night with eight.

Christopher Newport again struggled at the foul line, making just nine of 18 free throws, and missing eight from the stripe in the second half. The battle at TowneBank Arena at the Batten Center was the 89th all-time of the cross-water rivals, and the Captains now lead the all-time series, 52-37. 

The Captains, now 9-2, will travel to Charlotte, N.C., next week to take part in the Jay Bilas Classic. CNU will play Elmhurst University on Tuesday, December 20th, at 6:00 p.m. at Queens University of Charlotte. The Captains will then play the College of New Jersey on Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. in CNU's final game before the Christmas break.