NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University held off Southern Virginia University Friday afternoon at the Freeman Center, 74-65, as the Captains won their ninth straight game. John Krikorian's squad, ranked 12th in the nation, was led by a career-high 23 points from sophomore Jahn Hines to improve to 12-2 on the season. The game was the final of the annual Hampton Inn & Suites/Captains Shootout.

"I was really proud of what we were able to do today," Krikorian said following the final game of 2021. "We knew Southern Virginia has a talented group that would give us a great challenge, and we found a way down the stretch to get past them. This is the kind of win that really will help us grow as a team."

Christopher Newport led by just one at the intermission, 38-37, following a seesaw opening half that saw the the squads exchange the lead four times. The second half saw four more lead changes before the Captains pulled ahead for good, 55-54, on a layup from freshman Ty Henderson with 8:01 to play. The score came during an 11-0 Captains run that began with the Knights leading, 54-51, and concluded with the Captains on top, 62-54. Hines put the finishing touches on the victory by knocking down all eight of his free throw attempts in the second half, with all eight coming in the final 3:37 of the game. Hines finished the game 11 of 12 at the charity stripe.

Senior Darian Peterson recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 16 rebounds. Peterson also filled the stat sheet with five blocks, four assists, and four steals in 37 minutes of playing time. Peterson was selected the MVP of the Shootout, and Hines was also named to the All-Tournament squad.

Fifth-year senior Jason Aigner (11) and sophomore Trey Barber (10) also reached double figures in the Captains scoring column. Aigner moved up two spots on the CNU all-time scoring list, and is now 16th having passed both Carl Haynes and Tim Daly with his 11-point performance. He was not on the floor in the final minutes of the victory due to a sprained finger suffered late in the second stanza.

In addition to his game-high 23-point performance, Hines also pulled down eight rebounds, registered a game-high five assists, and also posted a steal. Barber's afternoon also included seven boards, four blocks, four assists, and a steal.

The Captains were able to improve to 9-0 at home this season despite shooting just 43 percent for the game (29 of 67), and just 20 percent from three-point range (4 of 20). Despite the poor shooting from the field, the Captains made 12 of 14 from the foul line for the day, with Hines making 11 of 12. CNU held a 44-31 advantage in rebounds over the Knights, who fell to 6-6 on the season. Christopher Newport has now out-rebounded its opponents in all 12 victories this season, while being out-rebounded in its two defeats.

Elliot Spencer led SVU with 17 points, followed by Conner Marchant's 15 and Isaiah Marchant's ten. Spencer and Conner Marchant were both selected to the All-Tournament team. The squad also included Jaylen Williams of Shenandoah University, who lost to both the Captains and Knights this week in the tourney.

The Captains have now won 22 of 23 contests with Southern Virginia in the all-time series, and the nine-point victory was CNU's 12th straight over the Knights. Christopher Newport finished December with a 7-0 mark for the month after going 5-2 in November.

The Captains get the new year underway on Sunday afternoon, with a 3:00 p.m. game vs. Widener University at the Freeman Center.