NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team fought back but fell just short at #17 Christopher Newport University Sunday afternoon in Newport News.
 
The first half played back-and-forth with both teams jumping ahead. The Captains took a five-point margin at 14:16 but UMHB answered with a layup to cut the gap down to three. The half toggled between four points until the 7:03 mark when Christopher Newport took another five-point lead off another three-pointer. The Captains extended the lead to eight at 6:42 and maintained the high ground until the 5:11 mark when Connor Zamiara netted a pair of foul shots to tie the half at 32.
 
CNU answered with a layup that jumpstarted a nine-point run. UMHB cut the gap down to seven but the Captains extended the lead back to 12 as the final 1:50 played scoreless.
 
Elijah Lawrence led the Cru with 13 points while Connor Zamiara added seven in the first half.
 
UMHB cut the gap down to single digits early in the second half but the Captains extended it back to 11 at the 17:30 mark. CNU held the advantage for most of the second half but the Cru did not go away, pulling within four with 2:23 to play. The Captains extended the lead to six but UMHB pulled within two with 18 seconds to play. A missed then made free throw from CNU brought the Cru to 91-88 with 14 seconds remaining. UMHB called a timeout and ran a play but a long-range three did not fall. The Cru committed a last-second foul, sending the contest back to the free throw line with a 93-88 final score.
 
Hudson Johnson ended the contest with 22 points, followed by Elijah Lawrence with 16. Engels and Donta Coady both finished with 10 points while Zamiara had a team-high six rebounds. Coady also tallied a team-high four assists and three steals.
 
UMHB returns to action in the ASC opener on Saturday, January 24th in a 3 p.m. contest against Hardin-Simmons University at the Mayborn Campus Center in Belton.