NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University concluded the regular season Wednesday night by holding off a stubborn University of Mary Washington squad, 71-66. The victory at the Freeman Center improved the third-ranked Captains to 22-3, and John Krikorian's squad will head to the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament next week riding a seven-game winning streak.

Fifth-year senior Matthew Brodie came up big after being honored before the game on Senior Night, scoring 20 points for the third time this season. Brodie knocked down five three-pointers and also pulled down four rebounds in 37 minutes of action. Junior Jahn Hines also tallied 20 points, and recorded a double-double by registering a team-high 11 rebounds. Sophomore Ty Henderson also reached double figures by scoring 12 points, and filled up his stat line by pulling down seven rebounds, dishing out four assists, making two steals and also blocking a shot.

Mary Washington, now 17-7, refused to back down and held a 54-53 lead with 6:38 to play. CNU jumped in front on a three-pointer from Brodie with 6:24 to go, and never relinquished the lead again, hanging onto the lead by knocking down 13-of-18 free throws in the second half, and 16-of-22 for the game (73 percent). The Eagles were led by a game-high 23 points from senior Greg Rowson.

"We had a feeling it was going to be a tough game, and the way they defend is very physical," Krikorian said following the victory. "I was happy with the way we rebounded, something we hadn't done well in our last game at Salisbury. The shots went down for us in the first half, but rebounding and controlling the inside is so important when they don't go down, and I thought we did a good job with that."

CNU out-rebounded UMW, 43-25, thanks in large part to the Hines brothers. Junior Jahn Hines (11) and freshman Collin Hines (9) combined for 20 boards with Henderson's seven not far behind. Both teams ended the night 23 of 54 shooting (43 percent), although the Captains made nine-of-24 from long range (38 percent), while the Eagles converted six-of-17 (35 percent) behind the arc.

The battle featured six lead changes, and was tied five times. The Captains held their biggest advantage of the night, 23-12, with 12:43 to play in the opening half. Mary Washington stormed back to take their first lead of the game, 31-29, only to watch the Captains bounce back to hold a 38-33 lead at the intermission. The Eagles rallied in the second stanza thanks primarily to Rowson, who scored 16 of his 23 points after the break.

The victory was the eighth straight for the Captains over the Eagles, and CNU now holds a 36-7 edge in the all-time series. Christopher Newport downed Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, 67-53, on February 1st in the first meeting of the schools this season.

Four seniors were honored prior to tip-off in Senior Night ceremonies. Brodie, Tyler Trimble, Brandon Edmond, and Nick Thomas all started the game as they played in their final regular-season action at the Freeman Center, where a crowd of 1,291 gathered for the regular season finale. Fifth-year senior Rodney Graves, who transferred to CNU this year for his final season, was also recognized, as were three seniors who are planning to return to the Captains next season; Ian Anderson, Jake Latta, and Devon Parrish.

The Captains now have an eight-day break before competing in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament in Santa Cruz, California. CNU will likely be the top seed and play in the semi-final round on Friday, February 24th, against the winner of Thursday's quarter-final game between host school UC Santa Cruz or Warren Wilson. Tip-off will likely be at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. The tournament will conclude with the Championship game on Saturday, February 25th, with start time scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.