NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Host and 20
th-ranked Christopher Newport held on for a 68-65 win over Johns Hopkins Wednesday night in non-conference action. The 24
th-ranked Blue Jays slip to 9-3 on the season while the Captains improve to 14-3.
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Tanti Fell dunk cut CNU's lead to just one point with 2:44 to play in the game. Both offenses went cold and a pair of Zyir Baskerville free throws with four ticks on the clock were the only points for the remainder of the game.
Hopkins led 9-4 early after a 7-2 run, capped by a
Charlie Jackson layup at 15:26. Toa Hollenbeck answered with a bucket on the other end to spark a 10-0 Captains' run. Ryan Derderian scored eight straight points to fuel the run and put CNU up 14-9. The Blue Jays trimmed the deficit back to two midway through the first but an 8-2 Captains' spurt saw the home team go up 24-16 with 6:39 to play.
Wyatt Eglinton Manner nailed a layup, followed by a Jackson triple to ignite a 17-7 run that spanned nearly six minutes. Eglinton Manner bookended the run with a jumper to put Hopkins on top 33-31 with 37 seconds to play in the half. Tyler Sprague answered with a three-pointer to grab the lead back for Christopher Newport at the half.
Jeb Williams opened the second half with a jumper to give Hopkins a 35-34 lead. The Captains responded with a 10-2 run to grab a 44-37 lead at the 16:12-mark. The Blue Jays battled back, getting buckets from six different players in a methodical 14-5 run. Jackson used a three-point play to cap the run and put the Jays up 51-49 with 10:58 to go.
Isaiah Dozier answered with a three-point play to grab the lead back for CNU. That sparked an 11-6 spurt that put the Captains up 60-57 on a Hollenbeck tip-in. The lead was short-lived as the Blue Jays came back with an Eglinton Manner free throw and a
Nick Klaiber three-pointer to go up 61-60. Tyler Henderson and Eglinton Manner then traded jumpers and Hopkins led by one with 4:35 on the clock. Christopher Newport would outscore Hopkins 6-2 over the final four and a half minutes to secure the win.
Jackson led the Blue Jays with 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Eglinton Manner also finished in double figures with 16 points, to go with seven boards and three helpers. Klaiber chipped in nine points and grabbed six rebounds while Felli added six points, six rebounds and two blocks. Hollenbeck scored a game-high 18 points, including going 3-of-4 from downtown, and pulled down six rebounds. Collin Hines and Derderian scored 10 points each, while Baskerville and Ethan Ward had a team-high eight rebounds each.
Hopkins returns to action on Saturday, January 10 as the Blue Jays open Centennial Conference play against Gettysburg. Tip-off is slated for 3:00 pm at Goldfarb Gym.
