WINCHESTER, Va. - Christopher Newport University sandwiched a big rally around halftime Wednesday evening to key a 69-60 USA South Conference men's basketball victory over host Shenandoah.

Shenandoah (4-20, 2-9 USA South) led 30-24 at the break after holding a 10-point lead with 3:07 remaining in the first.

Unfortunately for the capacity crowd at Shingleton Gymnasium, the Captains (20-4, 11-0) refused to drop their sails.

CNU scored 11 of the game's next 13 points, cutting the deficit to one point by the 17:34 mark of the second.

The two teams traded buckets for the next two minutes before Christopher Newport seized control with a 6-0 run from the 15:49 to 14:23 marks.

Luc Atangana capped this run with a 3-point play and CNU had its first lead since the 15:08 mark of the first.

George Williams answered for the Hornets on the next trip down the floor, but this could prove to be the Hornets final lead of the evening.

Christopher Newport went on a 13-1 run over the next 3:52 and remained in the lead for the remainder of the contest.

Shenandoah continued to battle, cutting it to five points thanks to a pair of Xavier Alston free throws with 2:01 left, but could get no closer.

The Captains, who trailed on the glass 23-17 in the first half, ended the game with a 45-38 rebounding advantage.

CNU outscored the Hornets 23-6 in second chance points, including 16-2 in the second stanza.

Alston led the hosts with 14 points while Avery Green had 12 rebounds.

Conley Taylor had 19 points, Mike Cherry 18, Tra Benefield 11 and Atangana 10 for the Captains.

Shenandoah plays its final USA South Conference regular season game on Saturday at Greensboro. The game is scheduled for a 4:00 start and is the back-end of a doubleheader with the SU women.

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