NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University sophomore Jahn Hines took over in the second half Wednesday night, leading the Captains to their 17th straight victory. CNU, ranked fourth in the nation, posted a 78-71 victory over the University of Mary Washington at the Freeman Center as Hines recorded 19 of his career-high 26 points in the second half. The come-from-behind victory improved the Captains to 20-2 overall and Head Coach John Krikorian's squad is now 12-0 at home this year. 

Hines pulled down seven rebounds and posted three assists and two blocks to go with his 26 points. He made 11 of 15 foul shots, converting eight of ten attempts in the second half. Senior Darian Peterson notched his third straight double-double by registering 13 points and ten rebounds. Peterson was also clutch for the Captains during the second half comeback, netting 11 of his 13 points after halftime. Freshman Ty Henderson also reached double digits with ten points for the night. 

Mary Washington built a ten-point lead in the opening half, 31-21, and held a 33-27 advantage at halftime. Christopher Newport opened the second half with ten straight points to open a 37-33 lead, and then went back-and-forth until grabbing the lead for good, 52-50, on a Hines layup with 11:14 to play. The Eagles fell to 15-6 on the season as the Captains ended up out-scoring them in the second stanza, 51-38. The game of Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference rivals featured eight lead changes and was tied seven times.

"That was just a great college basketball game," Krikorian said. "After all we've been through over the last couple of years, it was just nice to be in the midst of that atmosphere, with two good teams battling and the surroundings in the Freeman Center. We fought hard and I thought our energy was really good, but Mary Washington defended us well. We made too many mistakes in the first half, but we were able to clean that up after halftime."

The Captains turned the ball over nine times in the first half, but committed just one miscue after the intermission. CNU out-rebounded the Eagles, 40-37, led by sophomore Trey Barber's 11 boards. After shooting just 10 of 29 from the field in the opening half (35 percent), the Captains knocked down 16 of 32 in the second half to finish 26 of 61 for the night (43 percent). UMW made 44 percent of its shots from the field (27 of 62).

Fifth-year senior Jason Aigner scored five points to move past Matt Bryant into 12th place on the CNU all-time scoring list. Aigner is 118 points behind Mike Cherry for 11th on the list.

Senior Riley Welch led the Eagles with 20 points, followed by senior Da'Shawn Cook's 15  and ten from junior Colin Coyne. The victory was the fourth straight for the Captains over the Eagles, and CNU has now won 13 of the last 14 meetings in the series. Christopher Newport holds a 32-7 edge in the all-time series, and the squads will meet again on Saturday, February 19th, in Fredericksburg. 

The Captains' 20 victories this season marks the 21st time in the 54-year history of the program they have gone over the 20-win plateau. It's also the seventh straight season with 20 or more wins, and the ninth out of the last ten.

Christopher Newport returns to action hosting Salisbury University on Saturday at the Freeman Center. Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m. The Captains defeated the Sea Gulls in Salisbury, 62-55, last Wednesday,  February 2nd. Saturday's tilt will be the final home game of the regular season for the Captains. Prior to the game, Senior Day ceremonies will take place honoring seniors Jason Aigner, Darian Peterson, and Adrian Beasley. Athletic Hall of Fame ceremonies are scheduled for halftime.