NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University had its six-game winning streak snapped Thursday night, as the Marlins of Virginia Wesleyan University held off the 12th-ranked Captains, 74-68, at the Freeman Center. The home loss, the first of the season for John Krikorian's squad, dropped the Captains to 7-3 on the year. The Marlins are now 10-1, and won for the fourth straight time.

Christopher Newport led only briefly in the 90th game played in the long-running series, which dates back to the very first year of CNU men's basketball in 1968. The Marlins jumped to a fast start, and opened an early 15-3 lead six minutes into the first half, an advantage which would prove to be their biggest lead of the night. The Captains trailed by four at the intermission, 30-26, and edged in front, 41-40, on a dunk by senior All-American Jahn Hines with 13:12 to play in the second half. It would be CNU's only lead of the night, and would last for a mere 15 seconds on the clock. VWU embarked on a 14-5 run to open up an eight-point lead midway through the second stanza.

The Captains continued their fight down the stretch, but could get no closer than two in the waning minutes. Hines, who led the Captains with 15 points for the night, scored on a layup with five minutes to play to cut the lead to 57-55. Freshman Hasan Hammad, who recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, also got the lead down to two with a layup with just over a minute to go. Each time, though, the Marlins bounced back and were able to hold off the CNU surge.

CNU was again plagued by poor foul shooting, making just ten of 23 shots from the charity stripe.

"I was proud of our guys and proud of our effort, but we missed 13 free throws," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "We knew it would eventually cost us a game, and it really was a big part tonight. It's something we're going to keep working on and hopefully improving."

Virginia Wesleyan was led by a quartet of players in double figures, with junior Jordan Crump leading the group with 14 points. Sophomore Amari Moorer registered his first career double-double with ten points and 11 rebounds for VWU. In the 90 games played in the all-time series, Christopher Newport holds a 52-38 advantage, but the Marlins have now won the last two.

Hines got off to a tough start, making just one of nine shots in the opening half. He was able to heat up after halftime, making six of 13 shots and scoring 12 points while playing all but one minute after the break. In addition to his 15 points, Hines also contributed five rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocked shots for the Captains, who are now 5-1 at home this season.

Fellow senior All-American Trey Barber posted five points and eight rebounds in the first half, but did not see action in the second half.

"It's my job as the coach and the leader of the program to make sure we do things the right way," Krikorian continued. "Winning is great, but it's not the only thing. The success of a National Championship is wonderful, but that doesn't mean you don't do things the right way. You have to be a great teammate and you have to win and lose with class. We're learning a lot of lessons and trying hard to teach those lessons, and we're going to play the guys who do those things."

Christopher Newport has two road games remaining before an eight-day break for Christmas. The Captains will play at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa., on Sunday, with tip off set for 4:00 p.m. CNU will then travel to Union, N.J., to play Kean University on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.