NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University and Hampden-Sydney College battled to the final seconds Tuesday night at the Freeman Center, but two late three-point attempts by the Captains failed to go down and the Tigers held on for a 74-71 victory. The defeat was the first for the fifth-ranked Captains, who fell to 4-1, while the 23rd-ranked Tigers improved to 3-0.

Sophomores Toa Hollenbeck (19 points) and Tyson Henderson (18 points) led the way for the Captains, and fellow sophomore Ethan Ward also reached double figures with a dozen points. Fifth-year senior All-American Jahn Hines was limited to six points due to foul trouble, but still led the squad with 12 rebounds in 28 minutes of action. H-SC's fifth-year senior All-American Adam Brazil led all scorers with 22 points, with 17 coming in the second half.

"I was really proud of our team on a night when not much went our way," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "We were able to hang in there despite foul trouble and Jahn not having a great night...and still had opportunities to tie the game in the final seconds. Credit to Hampden-Sydney, they're a really good team and they had some guys make some really tough shots. But at the end, there we were in a one possession game in the final seconds and I think it's mostly due to the character of our guys. They fought like crazy on the glass and battled for every loose ball, and unfortunately for us the shots in the final seconds just didn't fall."

The early minutes of Tuesday's battle in front of 1,236 fans at the Freeman Center saw the teams exchange the lead twice. An early three-point play by Ward gave the Captains an 8-5 lead with 12:38 to play in the opening half, but It would prove to be the final advantage of the night for Krikorian's squad. Hampden-Sydney followed with a 25-14 run and went to the locker room at halftime with a 33-25 lead. The Captains were able to cut the lead as close as two with 7:03 remaining in the second half when Henderson's layup closed the gap to 55-53. The Tigers would answer, though, with a 12-2 run to extend the lead to a dozen, 67-55, with 3:52 left on the clock.

Despite the 12-point deficit, the Captains would rally again and storm back in the final minutes. Christopher Newport out-scored the Tigers, 16-7, down the stretch and closed the game on an 8-1 run, only to have the two three-point attempts to tie the game miss the mark in the final seconds as Hampden-Sydney escaped with the three-point victory.

Hollenbeck's game-high 19 points featured four three-point field goals, and Henderson drained three triples on the way to his 18. Ward not only scored 12 points, but also added nine rebounds. CNU out-rebounded H-SC, 47-42, for the night. The Captains struggled from the field in the opening half, making just eight to 35 shots (23 percent), but turned it around in the second half by nailing 19 of 32 (59 percent). CNU's comeback effort was also thwarted by nine-of-20 foul shooting (45 percent).

For the Tigers, Brazil's 22-point effort was bolstered by a double-double from big man Shane Fernald, who scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Guard.Aymen McGowan also reached double digits with 11 points, including three triples in the opening half.

The game was the 17th in the all-time series, and CNU now holds a 9-8 lead. Christopher Newport returns to action on Saturday at the Freeman Center, hosting the Cougars of Kean University (N.J.). Tip off time is set for 3:00 p.m.