Men's Basketball Falls to #5 Christopher Newport, 90-79

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The #5 ranked Christopher Newport University men's basketball team posted a 90-79 victory over Bridgewater State University men's on Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center.

The Captains improve to 16-3 on the season, while the Bears fall to 11-5. The two teams were meeting for the first time.

Christopher Newport overcame a career-high 30-point performance from BSU freshman guard Dante Kikuba (Framingham, Mass.). Kikuba connected on 12 of 18 field goal attempts including 4-for-6 from three-point range. He also added six rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals.

The Bears also received 15 points, four rebounds, five assists and a game-high five steals from graduate center Emerson Halbleib (Carmel, Ind.), as well as nine points, four rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot in 26 minutes off the bench from graduate forward Jordan Wetterlind (Twig, Minn.).

Graduate guard Matthew Brodie (Fairfax, Va.) paced the Captains with 20 points, eight rebounds, two assists and four steals. Brodie knocked down 4 of 9 three-point attempts.

Sophomore forward Caleb Furr (Warrenton, Va.) came up big in 19 minutes off the bench for Christopher Newport. Furr scored 17 points on 6 of 8 shooting, including 4-for-6 from three-point range. He also collected four rebounds and recorded a steal.

Junior guard Jahn Hines (Norfolk, Va.) contributed 16 points, four rebounds and a game-high eight assists to go along with three steals and block for the Captains, while sophomore guard Ty Henderson (Richmond, Va.) notched 11 points, two rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block.

Bridgewater led 41-34 at the break thanks in large part to 19 first-half points from Kikuba. The rookie guard went 8-for-9 from the floor over the first 20 minutes including a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Kikuba drained his third trifecta of the stanza at the buzzer to send the Bears to the locker room with a seven-point lead.

The hosts shot 56.7% (17-30) from the floor and 46.2% (6-13) from three-point range in the first half. The BSU defense held the Captains to 36.1% (13-36) shooting in the opening stanza with a 37.5% (6-16) clip from long-range.

Brodie paced the Captains with eight first-half points.

The second half featured four ties and 11 lead changes. Bridgewater led 74-73 following a pair of Kikuba free throws with 3:50 remaining in the game. The Bears next four possessions, however, resulted in three missed shots, a missed free throw and two turnovers. The Captains capitalized as they used a 9-0 run, highlighted by five points from Hines, to take control of the game. Kikuba put an end to the run with a three-pointer to cut the BSU deficit to 82-77 with 1:26 left to play. However, that would be as close as the Bears would get as Brodie answered with a trifecta out of a timeout and Christopher Newport pulled away for the 90-79 win.

After struggling in the first half, the Captains bounced back with 54.5% (18-33) shooting in the second stanza including 6-for-14 (42.9%) from behind the arc. After making just two trips to the free throw line in the first half, Christopher Newport went 14-for-20 at the charity stripe over the final 20 minutes.

The Captains' defense forced 25 turnovers on the afternoon which led to a decisive 23-6 advantage in points off turnovers. The CNU bench also outscored the BSU reserves, 33-20.

The Bears shot 50% (32-64) for the game and 37.5% from three-point range. Bridgewater attempted just nine free throws (6-for-9).

Freshman forward Louis Jennings (Walpole, Mass.) added seven points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Bears, while sophomore guard Alex Gonzalez (Peabody, Mass.) tallied seven points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Bridgewater State is back in action on Wednesday evening when the Bears host Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) rival Westfield State University at 5:30. The Captains travel to Eastern Nazarene College on Monday afternoon for a two o'clock game with the Lions.