NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Sophomore Toa Hollenbeck had the hot hand Sunday afternoon, scoring a career-high 24 points to lead Christopher Newport University to a 72-64 victory over Franklin & Marshall College (PA). The victory at the Freeman Center came in the Championship game of the Holiday Inn Invitational.

Hollenbeck, the Rookie of the Year last season in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference, was named MVP of the two-day tournament after making six of eight three-point attempts. He scored eight points in the opening half and added 16 more after the intermission, with four of his triples coming in the second half.

Sophomore point guard Tyson Henderson recorded a double-double for the Captains, scoring 14 points and dishing out 11 assists as CNU improved to 7-2 on the season. Henderson was also named to the All-Tournament team. Two other sophomores, Ethan Ward and Jason Ofcarcik, both added nine points.

"That was a terrific basketball game," Head Coach John Krikorian said following the triumph. "I told our guys at halftime when it was tied to enjoy it, and play your best, and we came out and shot really well in the second half. We hadn't been shooting particularly well, but picked a great day to knock down some shots. Franklin & Marshall is very stingy, they don't give you a lot inside and they're very physical. I was really proud of the way we battled through that."

The opening half saw just two lead changes with the teams never separated by more than four points. Henderson's layup with 25 seconds left in the first half tied the game, and the teams went to the locker rooms even at 32-32 at halftime. Sophomore Isaiah Dozer opened the second half scoring by drilling a three-pointer with 17:45 to play, and the Captains never trailed or were tied again. CNU upped the lead to as many as 12 on a tip in by Ofcarcik with 5:12 to play, 63-51, but the Diplomats could get no closer than seven down the stretch. 

Christopher Newport made 11 three-pointers in all, and converted 11 of 18 (61 percent) from long range for the day. Overall, CNU shot 49 percent (26 of 53) from the field. The Captains edged F&M on the boards, 37-34, with fifth-year senior All-American Jahn Hines leading the way with ten boards. Hines also added six assists, two blocked shots, and a steal while scoring five points.

"Jahn draws so much attention, and their size made it difficult for him today," Krikorian continued. "But as he usually does, he found ways to impact the game. That's what a fifth-year senior leader does, and I was really proud of his effort."

Franklin and Marshall fell to 5-3 with the loss and had a four-game winning streak snapped. The Diplomats were led by 18-point performances by both Vikaris Grauslys and Kevin Nowoswiat, who was named to the All-Tournament squad. The All-Tourney team also included Kevin Cummings of St. Joseph (CT) and Colby Napier of Transylvania (KY). The Blue Jays of St. Joseph defeated the Pioneers of Transylvania in the third-place game Sunday afternoon in the opener at the Freeman Center, 77-61.

Christopher Newport returns to action on Wednesday night, hosting Marymount University at the Freeman Center. Tip off is set for 7:00 p.m.