Captains knock off #1 RMC from the unbeatens

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Christopher Newport University knocked off previously-undefeated and top-ranked Randolph-Macon College Sunday, coming from behind in the second half and then holding off the Yellow Jackets in overtime, 77-76. The victory at the Freeman Center ended a 23-game winning streak for R-MC, and improved CNU's record to 5-2 on the season.

Christopher Newport never held the lead in the battle until the overtime period, and trailed by as many as 15 in the first half. Fifth-year senior Jason Aigner and junior Mat Brodie led the way with 16 points each for the Captains, with 14 of Brodie's 16 coming during the second half comeback and extra period.

"We knew we were in for a tremendous challenge today, and I'm really proud of our effort and our energy," Head Coach John Krikorian said. "Randolph-Macon is a very disciplined and talented team with two All-Americans, so this is a special victory. Our home crowd really lifted us up."

Randolph-Macon was fueled by remarkable performances by those All-Americans, fifth-year senior Buzz Anthony (24 points, 7 assists) and junior Miles Mallory (28 points, 17 rebounds). They led the Yellow Jackets through a dominating opening half, with R-MC leading, 41-28 at the break. The Captains, however, returned to the floor with new energy and managed to whittle away at the lead following the intermission. CNU cut the advantage to seven, 47-40, with 14:52 to play thanks to a 7-0 run. Randolph-Macon, though, was able to respond by re-claiming momentum and built the lead back to a dozen, 66-54, with just 5:15 to play.

The Captains then took control, going on a 15-3 run over the final five minutes of regulation to force the extra period. Brodie, sophomore Jahn Hines, and junior Jake Latta provided the heroics as the Captains surged in front of a frenzied home crowd. Brodie drilled a three and then added a layup to cut the lead to seven, 66-59, with 4:11 to go. Latta then gave the Captains a huge lift with a dunk with 3:08 to play cut the lead to three, 66-63. Hines then stepped to the forefront, scoring the final six points of regulation for the Captains on two field goals and two free throws. His layup with 57 seconds left tied the game at 69-69. Both teams failed to score in their final possession of regulation, and the battle headed to overtime.

CNU grabbed its first lead of the day, 71-69, on a layup from sophomore Trey Barber with 4:33 to go in OT. The teams then exchanged the lead six more times in an epic back-and-forth extra period. Brodie's layup with 1:02 to play moved the Captains back in front to stay, 77-76. The Yellow Jackets missed their final four field goal attempts of overtime, and Anthony's attempt in the final seconds of overtime was rejected by senior Darian Peterson to seal the win for the Captains.

Rebounding was a key in the second half for Christopher Newport, as the Captains held a 22-11 advantage on the boards in the second stanza. Randolph-Macon, now 6-1 on the season, out-rebounded the Captains in the opening half, 24-16. The final tally on the boards had the Captains with a 45-39 edge, with Hines pulling down 11 and Peterson posting ten for CNU.

The teams turned the ball over only 11 times, six by the Yellow Jackets and five by the Captains. It was the 30th meeting of the programs, and the Yellow Jackets now hold a 19-11 lead in the all-time series. Randolph-Macon had not lost a game since February of 2020, and had opened the 2021-22 campaign with six straight victories.

Alvernia defeated New Jersey City, 70-64, in the opening game of the day at the Freeman Center in the CNU/Holiday Inn Invitational. Christopher Newport returns to the floor on Saturday, hosting the Cougars of Averett University. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m.