VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Christopher Newport University battled from behind through the second half Wednesday night, and then overtook Virginia Wesleyan University in overtime...holding on for a 74-72 victory at TowneBank Arena at the Batten Center. The Captains, ranked fifth in the country in Division III, upped their record to 3-0, while the Marlins fell to 2-1.

Sophomore Toa Hollenbeck led the way with 22 points, and played 41 of the 45 minutes of the physical battle. Fifth-year senior All-American Jahn Hines also reached double digits with 16 points, and junior Collin Hines added nine points and seven rebounds. 

"I'm not sure we could have faced much more adversity in a game than we did tonight," Head Coach John Krikorian said following the wild win. "We just kept battling, through injuries and turnovers and all the rest. This is a game that had a March feel to it, and we were able to beat a really good team in Virginia Wesleyan."

The lead changed hands five times in the game, with four of those lead changes coming during a back-and-forth first half. The Marlins were able to open a six-point lead at the intermission, 32-26, as Amari Moorer scored 12 of his 18 points in the opening half. VWU then held the lead through the entire second half, but never took an advantage of more than eight points. The Captains stayed in striking range and eventually pulled even with just 38 seconds remaining on a three-point play by Jahn Hines to knot the score at 64-64. The Marlins then scrambled in the final seconds, and ended up missing three shots in the final nine seconds to send the game to an extra period.

CNU grabbed the lead early in overtime on a tip in by sophomore Ethan Ward, giving the Captains their first lead since the 3:54 mark of the first half when they held a 26-25 advantage. Christopher Newport would not trail again, despite losing the services of Jahn Hines, who fouled out with 2:44 to play in OT. Hollenbeck helped put the game on ice by making three of four foul shots in the final minute of overtime, and the game ended as the Marlins failed to get a shot off on a drive down court in the final seconds as the Captains held on for the two-point triumph.

"We had a lot of guys step up in key moments of this game, even if it was just for a minute or two," Krikorian continued. "Guys like Ryan Derderian and TJ Bethea, who did some really good things for us. This is the kind of game that brings about great camaraderie and our guys put forth exceptional effort when we needed it."

The Captains prevailed despite shooting just 36 percent for the game (26 of 72 from the field). VWU also struggled, making just 24 of 68 shots (35 percent). CNU made three of seven attempts in the overtime, while the Marlins were two of six. Christopher Newport knocked down just one three-pointer on 16 attempts, while Virginia Wesleyan drained three threes on 19 long-range shots. Both teams finished the night 21 of 27 at the free throw line (78 percent). On the glass, Christopher Newport held a 51-44 edge, as Jahn Hines and Ward pulled down nine rebounds each to lead the way. 

For the Marlins, senior Omari Deveaux topped the scoring column with 22 points. Junior Amari Moorer posted 18 points and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.

The battle in front of 487 fans was the 91st all-time game in the series, and the Captains now hold a 53-38 advantage. The victory snapped a two-game winning streak by the Marlins, and marked the eighth time in the series the schools have gone to overtime.

Christopher Newport next opens its home schedule on Saturday night, hosting Wilson College (Pa.) at the Freeman Center. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.