WASHINGTON, D.C. - Christopher Newport University lit up the scoreboard Monday afternoon, scoring a season-high 103 points while holding off Washington and Lee in the DC Showcase at Catholic University's DuFour Athletic Center. Three Captains tallied 18 points and five reached double figures as John Krikorian's squad won its seventh straight game, 103-91, over the Generals.
Senior Darian Peterson, sophomore Jahn Hines, and freshman Ty Henderson each contributed 18 points, and Hines recorded his third double-double of the season with 12 rebounds and also added two assists and two steals. Peterson's day also included eight rebounds, four blocks, and two assists as the 12th-ranked Captains improved to 10-2 and went over the 100-point mark for the third time this season in 12 games. Henderson was eight-for-eight at the foul line, with six coming down the stretch in the second half.
"This was a learning experience for us today," Krikorian said following the win. "Washington and Lee is a different type of matchup for us, they're big and can really score the ball... it took us a while to figure things out. Ultimately, we were able to keep up our intensity and out-score them. I'm not happy giving up 91 points, but this is something we now have in our memory and it will help us in the long run."
The Captains trailed out of the gate, 11-2, before recovering and taking their first lead, 24-23, midway through the opening half. CNU used an 9-0 run to build the lead to eight, 42-34, and never trailed again. The Generals whittled the lead to four at the intermission, 44-40, but Christopher Newport registered a 59-point second half outburst, out-scoring the Generals 59-51, to sail to the 12-point final verdict.
Fifth-year senior Jason Aigner scored 17 and knocked down five of eight from long distance for the Captains, and moved ahead of Carlos Heard into 19th place on the school's all-time scoring list. Aigner was selected the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week earlier in the day Monday for his efforts last week, averaging 18 points per game in CNU's victories over Hampden-Sydney and Virginia Wesleyan. Aigner is now just one point behind Bobby Arnette for 18th place on the scoring list.
Senior Matt Brodie also reached double digits with ten points for the Captains, who shot 55 percent for the game converting 38 of 69 attempts. CNU out-rebounded W & L, 36-29, and has now out-rebounded all ten opponents they have beaten this year. The Captains also out-scored the Generals in the paint, 58-34.
Washington and Lee, now 3-5 following the loss, drained 13 three-pointers on 25 attempts. Sophomore Robert DiSibio led the way for the Generals with 24 points while senior Gus Wise came off the bench to score 21 points, all in the second half. Sophomore Jack d'Entremont added 20 for W & L.
Monday's contest was the sixth game this season for the Captains against schools from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Captains were 5-1 in the six contests, splitting two games with Lynchburg and defeating Randolph-Macon, Hampden-Sydney, Virginia Wesleyan and W & L. CNU is now 4-2 all-time vs. Washington and Lee.
Tuesday's scheduled game vs. Catholic in the DC Showcase has been postponed due to positive CoVID tests in the Catholic program. The Captains now have an eight-day break for Christmas, and will return to action on Wednesday, December 29th, hosting the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at the Freeman Center. The game will tip off at 4:00 p.m. and is part of the Captains Shootout. Shenandoah and Southern Virginia will play at 2:00 p.m. on the 29th to open the tourney, and the third-place and championship games will be played on Thursday, December 30th.