Men's Basketball Captures Third In A Row By Defeating Wesley (DE) 78-74

NEWPORT NEWS, VA - Christopher Newport's men's basketball team won its third straight Saturday evening by defeating Wesley 78-74.

The Wolverines led for almost the first 15 minutes of the first half, leading by as many as eight several times. The Captains tied the score at 35-35 with 5:08 left on Theo Baker's trey. CNU took its first lead on its very next possession as Ed Riley's jumper with 4:46 left to play in the first put the Captains in front 37-35.

Riley's bucket kick-started the CNU offense as they reeled off eight straight to lead by eight, 43-35, with 3:35 left. Wesley would go on a run of its own, outscoring the Captains 9-1 to cut the lead to one, 44-43 with 1:13 left. CNU would score the final four points of the half and force two Wesley turnovers on its final two possessions to lead 49-44 at the break.

Both teams were sharp from the field in the first half. The Wolverines were 19-of-38 (50%) from the field, 5-of-15 (33%) from behind the arc and 1-of-2 from the line. Christopher Newport was just as sharp, shooting 23-of-38 (61%) from the floor, but just 1-of-6 (17%) from long range and 2-of-3 from the line.

In the second half, the Captains never trailed as the entire second half saw one tie, late, when Wesley, trailing by as many as eight, knotted the score at 72-72 with 5:29 left in the game. The Wolverines, trailing 66-58, came to life by going on a 14-6 run to get back into the game.

Both teams went scoreless from the time the Wolverines tied the game until the 2:21 mark, over three minutes of play. Wesley had three chances with the score tied to take the lead. A turnover and two missed shots doomed the Wolverines down the stretch.

It was Mark Blasingame's tip-in with 2:21 left that put the Captains ahead for good. Donta Selden's two free throws on CNU's next possession increased the Captains lead to four. Wesley countered with a lay-up off a CNU turnover with 41 seconds to go, but Korey Lewis' put-back with six ticks left sealed the win.

The Wolverines went cold from the field, shooting just 11-of-34 (32%), 3-of-13 (23%) on three-pointers and 5-of-6 (83%) from the free throw line. The Captains continued their hot shooting as they finished 12-of-24 from the floor, 0-of-2 from downtown and 5-of-7 (71%) from the charity stripe.

For the game, Wesley finished 30-of-72 (42%) shooting, 8-of-28 (29%) from long range and 6-of-8 from the stripe. CNU was 35-of-62 (57%) from the field, 1-of-8 (13%) on three's and 7-of-10 from the line.

The Captains turned the ball over 20 times which led to 20 Wesley points. The Wolverines turned the ball over just nine times which led to 16 CNU points. Christopher Newport dominated the points in the paint, outscoring Wesley 56-32.

Rashawn Johnson led Wesley with 26 points on 11-of-28 shooting from the floor, including 4-of-11from behind the arc. Tyrell Brown was a perfect 8-of-8 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the line and finished with 22 points.

Korey Lewis led four Captains players in double figures. Lewis finished with 20 points on 10-of-17 shooting and 10 rebounds. Riley had 18 points, Davon Barton contributed 17 points and nine assists and Selden finished with 19 points. Blasingame had six points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Wesley falls to 3-7 on the year while Christopher Newport improves to 8-4. The Captains return to action Wednesday as they travel to Shenandoah to open USA South play with tip set for 7:30 pm.

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