FORT WAYNE, IN. - Christopher Newport University's first trip to the National Championship game will be remembered as a classic, as junior Trey Barber scored on a driving layup as time expired to give the Captains a 74-72 victory over Mount Union. CNU finished the year with a 30-3 record, and the remarkable victory in the title game was the 15th straight for the Captains.
Barber led four Christopher Newport players in double figures, scoring 25 points on ten-of-15 shooting. Barber also topped the team with ten rebounds, and was selected the Most Valuable Player of the Final Four. Junior Jahn Hines was also selected to the All-Tournament squad, scoring 18 points and pulling down six rebounds with four assists. Fifth-year senior Matthew Brodie and sophomore Caleb Furr also reached double digits, scoring 12 points in the title game.
"This is about our program and all the people who are a part of it, and have been a part of it in the past," Head Coach John Krikorian said during the post-game celebration. "We have a rich history and so many have contributed to it. I was thinking so much about our long-time coach C.J. Woollum, who hired me, and I heard from our program's first coach, Bev Vaughan, today. It was like they were both with us on our bench tonight. We had so many of our former players with us here tonight. I can't tell you how much this means."
The Captains found themselves behind for much of the game and had to mount yet another comeback to claim the championship. CNU trailed at halftime in nine games this season, and came from behind to win them all, including Saturday's Championship game. The Purple Raiders went on a 9-0 run in the opening minutes to take a 9-2 lead and then stretched their advantage to as many as 14 with 5:10 to play in the first half, 26-12. CNU used a 14-3 run to close out the half, and trailed by just three at the break, 29-26. The second half saw Mount Union push the lead to as many as ten, 45-35, with 13:55 to play.
Christopher Newport would then begin a stretch that saw them out-score the Raiders, 39-27, the rest of the way, culminating with Barber's buzzer-beater for the victory. CNU took its first lead of the second half when Barber knocked down a free throw with 8:38 remaining to put the Captains up, 50-49. CNU would extend the lead to as many as seven, 65-58, on a Barber layup with 3:58 to go. The Purple Raiders would not go away, and would briefly jump back in front, 70-69, with 17 seconds remaining on a layup from All-American Christian Parker. The Captains answered quickly when sophomore Ty Henderson scored on a fastbreak jumper in the lane, and was fouled in the process. His free throw to complete the three-point play gave Christopher Newport a 72-70 edge.
The final possession for each team resulted in a fantastic conclusion to the hard-fought battle. Mount Union tied the game with four seconds left on the clock when Parker scored on a jumper in the paint to even things at 72-72. But in the waning seconds after Mount Union had pulled even, Barber rumbled down the court and provided the spectacular finish by scoring on a driving layup to end the game.
"I really don't remember what happened," Barber admitted. "They had scored and I got the ball and saw the rim and went to it. It's an amazing feeling." Barber and Hines, who both had been named All-American earlier in the day by D3hoops.com, combined to score 43 points and pull down 16 rebounds.
The buzzer-beating shot by Braber to end the game was reviewed by the officiating crew to verify it had come before the horn sounded.
"Trey and Jahn were just amazing again," Krikorian continued. "But we had a lot of guys come through in big moments. Caleb Furr hit some really big threes for us, and Matt Brody was big in the second half. Our defense was key as it usually is, and we did just enough to win the game. I really feel for Mount Union, they're a great team and competed at such a high level all season."
Mount Union finished the year with the same record as the Captains, 30-3, and Saturday's battle was the first meeting ever of the programs. Parker, also named All-American Saturday by D3hoops.com, led the Purple Raiders with 31 points and 14 rebounds. The Captains out-rebounded the Raiders, 47-41, and committed just nine turnovers. In two games at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, the Captains turned the ball over just 13 times.
"This is such a unique group of guys," Krikorian said. "They love to play the game and get after it. Most of the time, I tried to stay out of their way, and give them what they needed to succeed as best I could. They took what had happened in the past, like losing last year at Marietta in the Elite 8, and losing at Randolph-Macon this year and they learned from it and remembered it and used it to their advantage. Their hard work paid off and I'm so happy for them."
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