'It Hurts': Christopher Newport one shot better than Randolph-Macon in men's hoops battle
It is widely known that life features highs and lows. But it is a very rare moment when, in the blink of an eye, one either reaches the apex or dives into the valley of disappointment.
When Randolph-Macon’s final shot to force overtime fell just short, the Christopher Newport Captains raced to midcourt to celebrate a 59-57 win Friday night in the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship Round of Sixteen, while the Yellow Jackets sank into a reality of a season cut short.
“It hurts. When you put as much into it as we do…but credit to CNU for advancing,” Yellow Jackets head coach Josh Merkel said, flanked by two of his five seniors: Bryce Scott, the emotional leader, and Amir Areikat, who led Randolph-Macon (27-4) with 15 points, but whose jumper with two seconds left hit the front of the rim, sending the Captains to next week’s Round of Eight in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
This was not a game for the faint of heart. Both teams are very physical, and love to attack the basket. There were 45 combined free throws. But in the first half, the Captains found consistent scoring in the paint, while the Yellow Jackets couldn’t find it anywhere.
“It really wasn’t an X’s and O’s game. It really was just a battle,” Captains head coach John Krikorian said.
Christopher Newport (24-5) shot 70 percent from two in the first nine minutes, claiming a 17-7 advantage. Randolph-Macon found the bottom of the net just twice in their first 12 shots. Junior Malcolm Hodges (Monacan), a key player in their tournament victories over North Carolina Wesleyan and The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), was limited to just four minutes of play in the first half due to foul trouble.
After Ethan Ward sank two free throws, the Captains went to halftime with their biggest lead, 35-21. Randolph-Macon made just six of 25 first half shots. But that wouldn’t carry over to the second stanza.
Forgetting a 20-minute period where Randolph-Macon’s starters tallied just five combined points, Keishawn Pulley, Jr. (St. Christopher’s), Jabril Robinson, Liam Joyce, Hodges, and Delani Hammonds all made their first shots out of the locker room. The lead was cut in half at 39-32 just 3:26 into the second half.
The rest of the half saw Christopher Newport do just enough, especially on defense, only allowing the Yellow Jackets to lead for a combined 58 seconds. The Captains outrebounded Randolph-Macon 36-25, and outscored them in the paint 42-26. Yet, the Yellow Jackets found themselves with the ball, down just two at 58-56, with 1:15 to play.
Theo Antinori, an 83% free-throw shooter, drew a foul with nine seconds left, made the first shot, but missed the second. CNU’s Ward was immediately fouled by Hodges, who, critically, fouled out with just six points and no rebounds.
Ward missed his first try, but sank the second for a 59-57 lead. With Hodges, usually one of Randolph-Macon’s best rebounders, watching from the bench, the Yellow Jackets called for a clear out to give Areikat space to work the left side.
But not everyone went to crash the boards for a possible tip-in should his shot miss, which it did, and the dreams of a second national championship in the past five seasons were over.
“We dug ourselves a hole, made a run at it, and they made one more play,” Merkel noted. “Areikat is such a gamer. He’s a winner, and all these seniors are winners. That’s what they know.”
On a night when Randolph-Macon needed the usual three or four players in double figures, only Areikat provided with his 15 points. Joyce netted eight, while Robinson and promising freshman Doran Clausell scored seven points.
Krikorian, when asked about the lessons learned when the Yellow Jackets came to Newport News in November and left with a 71-65 come-from-behind win, credited the development of several players as much as any instances that occurred that night at the Freeman Center.
“It was one of the few times this year we were outrebounded,” Krikorian explained. “Certainly that was an emphasis coming into this game. Some of our guys have really evolved since that time.”
One of them is Zyir Baskerville, a product of Varina High School who transferred to Christopher Newport after two seasons at Virginia Union. His six points and three rebounds seem mundane on the surface, but his speed and acuity came in handy at critical moments throughout the contest.
“A guy off the bench like Zyir, (the R-MC game) was his second game with us back in November. He really gave us a huge lift in the second half.”
The Class of 2026 for the Yellow Jackets will graduate with an overall record of 105-16. Their four losses this season were by a combined six points. Their biggest disappointment will be the fact that they never advanced past the round of sixteen in the tourney, losing three times in four seasons.
Areikat and Scott showed maturity and grace in defeat, and could see the much bigger, and more important, picture when asked to remember the day he walked onto campus four years ago to play for the then-defending national champions.
“We have leaders in our program that prepare us for these moments, so you either hop on the train or you don’t. You’re going to get pushed. Guys are going to push you,” Areikat opined. “We don’t really talk about pressure.”
“It’s a really exciting thing to come into,” Scott said. “I think, if you’re an athlete, and you don’t want that kind of pressure, then you’re not trying to win.”
Visibly disappointed for his players, especially his seniors, Merkel turned the tables on the traditional question of how a coach impacts his players.
“Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be, but this group has been so good, and really impactful, I mean, hey, you talk about these guys and how it’s impacted them, but being able to coach these guys for four years has made my last four years a lot better. They’ve made life easier on me and my family,” Merkel shared. “It’s been awesome. Gonna miss these guys.”
