ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. -- The 15th-ranked Christopher Newport men's basketball team was denied a late-game comeback, suffering its first loss of the season by faltering on the road against No. 24 St. Mary's College (Md.), 65-60.
CNU falls to 5-1 overall this season while the Seahawks improve to 6-1 overall. The Captains shot just 36.2% from the field (21-58) while St. Mary's knocked down over 51% of their shots (22-43).
Playing against a myriad of zone defenses presented by the Seahawks, the Captains struggled shooting the ball from the outset, but managed to take a six-point edge on an Evan Thorpe layup with 10:28 remaining in the first half.
The CNU lead was 27-23 with 6:09 when rookie Connor Laframboise knocked down a three-pointer, but the Captains wouldn't make a basket the remainder of the half as St. Mary's closed on a 6-1 run for a one-point lead at the break, 29-28.
In the second half, the Captains defense limited St. Mary's chances, holding the home team to just 18 shots in the frame. Still, the Seahawks knocked down the majority and built a double-digit lead halfway through the stanza. With 11:17 to go, Nick LaGuerre hit a free-throw to pull ahead, 50-35, for the largest lead of the night.
Laframboise would hit another three, followed by one apiece from sophomore Mike Cherry and senior Jon Snead to get the lead down to nine. After a layup by junior Tra Benefield, the Captains stayed hot from long range, as Cherry knocked down the team's fourth consecutive attempt to pull within seven with 4:45 remaining, 56-49.
Benefield took over for CNU, scoring seven of the next nine points for the team, as CNU frenetically tried to claw back in the final minutes. A layup with 3:25 left made it 59-53, followed by a trey with 2:35 showing got the Captains within five, 61-56. The final two minutes ticked away quickly as both teams turned the ball over twice, and missed a combined three shots.
CNU finally converted, on a layup by Cherry to get back within one possession with 11 seconds remaining, 61-58. Forced to foul, James Davenport converted both attempts from the line to re-take a five-point lead with 11 seconds to go. The Captains got an open dunk by Benefield in the final moments, but could not complete the comeback as St. Mary's held on for the 65-60 win.
The Captains took 15 more shots in the game, but St. Mary's shot a torrid 51% in the game, including 7-of-12 from beyond the arc (58.3%).
Benefield led the way for CNU, scoring a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds. Cherry added 11 points, four rebounds and three assists, while sophomore Nik Biberaj had four assists and nine points.
The Seahawks featured a balanced attack with six players scoring seven points or more. Laguerre led the team with 16 points, while Devin Spencer and James Davenport finished with 11 and 10 respectively.
CNU has just one game remaining before the winter break, scheduled to take on Eastern Mennonite University at home on December 17 at 5:30 pm.