NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Averett University men's basketball led in the second half and stayed on the Captains' heels before No. 10 Christopher Newport University inched away late for a 61-50 win over the Cougars on Monday night.

Averett (1-9) played toe-to-toe with the defending national champion Captains, leading multiple times. Nationally ranked Christopher Newport (7-2) only had a 25-23 lead at halftime and the Cougars scored the first four points of the second period to jump in front 27-25 with 17:45 to play.

CNU used a 9-0 run to put win in its sails for the moment. Yet, Averett remained within striking distance. Junior Bryce Shaw's 3-pointer with 7:16 remaining got the Cougars within 42-38. The Captains answered with another 7-0 run to extend its lead to 11. Although redshirt junior Zach Shumate's layup moments later got Averett back to within nine, CNU extended its lead back to double digits over the final minutes to pull away.

Shaw finished with a career-high 18 points to go with a team-high seven rebounds, while Shumate matched his career-high of 10 points as Averett.

The Cougars raced out to a 7-0 lead before CNU eventually surpassed Averett 12-11 with 6:53 left in the first half. The two stayed within two possessions of each other the rest of the period.

Both teams shot relatively even from the floor, but CNU edged the Cougars in points off turnovers and second-chance points.

Averett will play Belhaven University on Friday on the first day of Virginia Wesleyan University's two-day North Plastic Surgery X-Mas Classic.



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