ASHLAND, Va.- The 800th win in Christopher Newport men's basketball history was one to remember. Tuesday night at Crenshaw Gymnasium, the Captains of CNU and the Yellow Jackets of Randolph-Macon College engaged in a back-and-forth early season drama. The thrilling 84-83 CNU victory, the second straight over R-MC, gives the Captains a 2-0 record to start the season.

"It was just a great game to watch," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "We went toe-to-toe with them and never backed down. I'm so proud of how we competed...our guys played a lot of minutes and left it all out there. It's a fantastic victory for our program."

The Captains were led for the second straight game by junior guard Mike Cherry, who posted 19 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Senior Tra Benefield scored 16 points and also registered five rebounds and three assists.

CNU jumped to an early lead thanks to red hot three-point shooting. The Captains were eight of 14 from beyond the arc in the opening half, and used a 12-3 run over the last five minutes of the first half to lead at the break, 43-36.

Randolph-Macon used an early 21-10 run in the first seven minutes of the second half to grab the lead back, 57-53. The Captains, though, were far from done.

The teams exchanged leads through the second stanza, with CNU staying close thanks primarily to three-pointers and free throws. Benefield went to the line eight times in the second half, and made seven of eight foul shots.

Sophomore Connor Laframboise, who finished with 11 points and four rebounds, knocked down a big three-pointer with 3:28 to play to put the Captains back ahead, 78-76.

With 1:56 to go, Benefield drilled a three-pointer to tie the game at 81-81.

CNU got another big bucket with 1:11 to play, a Luc Atangana layup to tie the game at 83-83. Atangana finished the night with seven points and four rebounds.

In the final minute, the Yellow Jackets turned the ball over, and with just 39 seconds to play and the game tied, the Captains had the ball back. After running the clock down, CNU pushed the ball inside to sophomore Evan Thorpe, who was fouled by R-MC's Andre Simon with just four seconds to play. Thorpe made the first of two crucial free throws, and Randolph-Macon missed a desperation three-pointer as time expired, and the Captains held on for the 84-83 triumph.

Thorpe finished the game with 12 points, and freshman Tim Daly added 13 to the scoring column. All five Captains starters were in double figures.

The Yellow Jackets were led by senior Andre Simon's 25 points. Randolph-Macon falls to 1-2 on the season.

CNU shot 52 percent from the field and 55 percent from three-point range for the night. The Captains were able to escape with the win despite being out-rebounded, 44-27.

Christopher Newport now has an al-time record of 800-419 for a winning percentage of 66 percent. This is the 47th season of men's basketball at CNU.

The Captains will put their 2-0 record on the line Saturday at the Freeman Center. CNU hosts the Holiday Inn Captains Shootout, with York College of New York the first round opponent. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m.