NEWPORT NEWS, Va.— Ahead for most of the game, the Southern Virginia University men's basketball team lost a close game on the road at Christopher Newport University by an 89-79 score Wednesday night at the Freeman Center in Newport News, Virginia.

Ahead 44-40 at halftime following a back-and-forth opening half, the Knights built a lead as high as 13 points in the opening minutes of the second half but the Captains gradually cut into the deficit and regained the lead with just over five minutes remaining. Christopher Newport was permitted over 40 free throw attempts on 23 Knight fouls in the second half while Southern Virginia received a meager 11 shots from the charity stripe on 12 Newport fouls.

The Knights were led by senior guard Preston Eaton's 19 points as he converted five buckets, including two three-pointers, and went a perfect 5-5 from the stripe to lead the offense. Senior forward Wesley Evans scored 13 points for the night on 5-10 shooting with two treys. He also led the Knights with seven boards during the game.

David Baety provided 10 points for Southern Virginia while guard Kevin Walker added eight.  Centers Michael Neufville and Kaleio Manuela each scored six points for the Knights.

An equally contested battle, both teams shot 49 percent from the field with five three-pointers apiece. The game features 10 ties and nine lead changes with the Captains holding slight advantages in points off turnovers (30 to 24) and bench points (24 to 23). CNU also had 12 second-chance points to the Knights' seven.

Newport forward Tim Daly led the Captains with 25 points on 8-11 shooting while guard Marcus Carter provided 20 points, primarily from the free-throw line where he converted 18 of 23 attempts. Guard Logan Miller added 12 points.

Southern Virginia returns home for another CAC matchup with Wesley College Saturday at 3 p.m. at Knight Sports Arena.