NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Fifth-year senior All-American Jahn Hines registered another memorable performance against Berry College (Ga.) on Monday.. Hines, who scored a career-high 39 points at Berry last New Year's Day in a CNU victory, tallied 37 points at the Freeman Center Monday, leading the Captains to a 79-71 victory over the Vikings in the Championship game of the Captains Shootout.

The Captains improved to 12-3 with the hard-fought victory, and Hines received the MVP honor of the two-day tournament after setting a new scoring record for the Shootout. The Norfolk native also scored 19 on Sunday in a Christopher Newport victory over Misericordia University in the opening round, as the three-time All-American moved into seventh place on the CNU all-time scoring list. 

Sophomore Toa Hollenbeck was also selected to the All-Tournament team after scoring 18 points and making six of seven free throws down the stretch to help the Captains seal the victory. Holenbeck posted 17 points on Sunday in the win over Misericordia.

"It was fun to have Jahn Hines on my team today, that's for sure," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "He was the All-American that he is today, and he was just terrific. They tried to throw some zones at us to keep us off balance, but we were able to keep scoring and hold them off."

Christopher Newport led for almost the entire game, and held a slim 35-33 edge at the intermission. Berry briefly jumped ahead for its only lead of teh game, 58-57, with 7:28 to play in the second half. The Vikings, now 7-6, took their only advantage when senior Braxton Benham converted two free throw attempts, accounting for two of his 27 points in the game. The Captains would bounce back, though, going on a 19-7 run to surge to an 11-point lead, 76-65, in the final minute on the way to the eight-point final tally.

"We missed a lot of short shots in the opening half, and we were a bit frustrated that they cut the lead to two," Krikorian continued. "We tried to get the positive energy back at the half, and were really trying to lock in on the defensive end. I think we did a much better job in the second half. We moved Jahn over to guard Benham, and that move ultimately could have been the difference in the game."

Benham fouled out with 2:18 to play, committing his fifth foul on a collision with Hines, and the Vikings were unable to rally in the final minutes. Hines ended the day with a 12-for-24 shooting performance, including four-of-six from three-point range. He added 12 rebounds, four steals, a block, and an assist. Benham, who was also selected to the All-Tournament team, made nine-of-17 shots, including three-of-four from long range. He also pulled down seven boards, posted five assists and added two steals.

Christopher Newport out-rebounded Berry, 48-36, with the Hines brothers combining for 22 rebounds. Collin Hines led the way with 12, to go with ten from Jahn Hines.Jacob Morgan pulled down eight boards to top the Vikings as the teams completed their 2024 schedules.

"I certainly credit Berry for their effort today," Krikorian said. "They've got a premier player in Benham, and they can really score the ball. They execute extremely well and they're well coached. I think our guys are going to learn a lot from this one."

Christopher Newport will open 2025 on Saturday with a home battle vs. the top team in the nation, Emory University. The Eagles are 10-0 and recorded a 77-71 win over Union College on Monday. Tip off is set for 2:00 p.m. Saturday at the Freeman Center.