NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport recovered from an early 9-2 deficit, and stormed past Susquehanna University Saturday night at the Freeman Center, 81-67. The victory propels John Krikorian's squad to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament. CNU will play Stockton (NJ) next Friday in a sectional at a site and time to be determined by the NCAA on Sunday. 

Fifth-year senior Jason Aigner knocked down seven three-pointers for a team-high 21 points, and converted seven of 12 attempts, all from long range. Senior Darian Peterson tallied 14 points in the second half, six coming on three thunderous dunks, and finished with 18 points as well as a game-high 13 rebounds. The Captains improved to 26-2 with their 23rd consecutive victory.

"Susquehanna is a great program and they had a really good plan against us tonight," Krikorian said. "We had trouble with their zone early but made some adjustments and really attacked it well. We were able to get good production inside and outside, and our defense was terrific. This is a special time of year and we're fortunate to be playing well and enjoying the process."

Senior Matt Brodie came off the bench to score 14 points for the Captains, and sophomore Jahn Hines also reached double digits with 12 points for Christopher Newport, who improved to 17-0 at home this season.

The River Hawks opened the game by jumping to a 9-2 lead a little more than three minutes into the first meeting ever of the two programs. The Captains then surged ahead thanks to a 26-5 run, and never relinquished the lead. CNU held a 36-21 advantage at the intermission, and upped the lead to as many as 23 in the second stanza, 59-36. Susquehanna was able to whittle the lead down to 11, but could not get any closer. 

Junior Dominic Dunn led the SU attack with 22 points. The loss ended a 14-game winning streak for the River Hawks, who finished the season with a mark of 24-5.

Peterson's huge second half led to his eighth double-double of the season, and seventh in his last nine games. Sophomore Trey Barber also recorded a big night inside, posting eight points and nine rebounds. Freshman Ty Henderson scored eight and dished out six assists for CNU.

The Captains shot 55 percent from the floor (33 of 60), and made nine of 21 shots from long range (43 percent). CNU's defense held Susquehanna to just 41 percent shooting (26 of 63) including just eight of 29 (28 percent) in the opening half. Christopher Newport out-rebounded Susquehanna, 37-33, and out-scored the Hawks in the paint, 42-28. CNU also had 12 fast break points, while Susquehanna had none.

A Freeman Center crowd of 712 watched the home team record its 26th NCAA win all-time, and the victory came in CNU's 50th tournament game. This is the 25th appearance in the tournament for the Captains in the 54-year history of the program, and the sixth straight. 

The game vs. Stockton will be the first ever with the Ospreys, who are 26-4 this season. Stockton won the New Jersey Athletic Conference title this season by beating Rowan in the championship game, and beat Wilson and Johns Hopkins at home in Galloway, NJ, to advance to the Sweet 16. The third round game will be played Friday at a time and location to be determined Sunday by the NCAA. Marietta (OH) and Oswego State (NY) will also be a part of the four team sectional.