NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Sophomore Jason Aigner converted three free throw attempts with ten seconds left Wednesday night, as Christopher Newport completed a come-from-behind effort to beat York College of Pennsylvania, 73-71. The drama-filled battle at the Freeman Center was the Capital Athletic Conference opener for both schools. 

York College went up by as many as 12 midway through the second half, and held a 68-62 lead with just 2:46 remaining. The Captains, ranked 18th in the nation, out-scored the Spartans, 11-3, down the stretch to pull out the victory. CNU is now 11-1 overall and 1-0 in the CAC, while York fell to 7-5 and 0-1.

"That was an impressive win for us," Head Coach John Krikoriansaid. "York is a really good team and we knew we were in for a battle. I thought we defended them well in the second half to stay in the game. We got some great efforts in key points to get us the win." 

Senior Marcus Carter led the Captains with 17 points, while Aigner posted 16, all in the second half. Juniors Cutch Ellis (12) and Luther Gibbs (10) also reached double figures.

York dominated the first half, jumping to a 10-2 lead, and went up by as many as nine, 23-14. The Captains recovered and eventually went ahead for the first time, 32-30, late in the opening half. The Spartans scored the final four points before the intermission to hold a 34-32 advantage at the half.

In the second half, the Spartans again began to pull away and went up by as many as a dozen, 60-48, before the Captains again stormed back. Carter and Aigner led the charge, combining for 25 of CNU's 41 second-half points.

Carter, who played 39 of 40 minutes for CNU, pulled the Captains into a 68-68 lead tie with a driving layup with 56 seconds remaining. After the Spartans missed a three-point attempt, Gibbs went to the line after being fouled with 37 seconds remaining and knocked down two free throws to give CNU a 70-68 edge. York junior guard Jared Weaver then put the Spartans back in front with a three-pointer with only 28 seconds on the clock.

In a wild sequence that followed, junior Nick Parks made a fantastic play saving the ball inbounds following a missed shot. The offensive rebound led to Aigner getting fouled attempting a three from the corner. He went to the line and converted all three shots to provide the 73-71 final. York's final attempt from Wagner came up short and the Captains improved their winning streak to five games.

"I've got to give Nick Parks a lot of credit on that last possession," Krikorian continued. "He really made a heads-up play to keep that play alive and that led to our final free throws. Sometimes you just have to find a way to win, and we did exactly that in the second half."

The dramatic conference opener featured 47 personal fouls and 54 free throw attempts. Four of York's five starters fouled out of the game in the final three minutes and forty seconds. The Captains had a strong second half at the foul line, making 18 of 25 (72 percent). CNU was 28 of 36 for the night at the stripe (77.8 percent).

CNU's defense, ranked first in the nation in opponent field goal percentage, held the Spartans to just 38.5 percent (10 of 26) in the second half. Wagner led the Spartans in the scoring column with 19 points, while senior Jason Bady posted 17 and junior Darin Gordon added 13.

The game was the first this season for CNU decided by fewer than ten points. Christopher Newport now has an 11-3 all-time lead in the series with York. The squads will meet again on Saturday, January 26th, in York, Pa. CNU returns to action on Saturday at Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. Game time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.