Newport News, Va. -- Before University of Lynchburg took on 14th-ranked Christopher Newport on Sunday, head coach Hilliary Scott said he scheduled these tough, midseason road games in order to create a tournament experience for his players. 

These two games lived up to the hype. 

University of Lynchburg forward T.C. Thacker scored 18 points with 16 rebounds in a 79-74 loss to the Captains.

Three weeks ago, the Hornets stormed out to a 14-point lead in the opening six minutes in a win over Christopher Newport. In the rematch Sunday, the Captains stormed out to a 14-5 advantage. However, Trey Pittman and Tharon Suggs sank back-to-back shots and closed the early deficit to four.

Despite playing from behind, the Hornets stayed true to their style of play, pushing the ball furiously up the court on defensive rebounds. Lynchburg's guards snagged eight boards in the first half, helping to push the ball on the break. 

Cam Savage drew Lynchburg within two points, 18-16, after obtaining a rebound and driving straight to the elbow to knock down a jumper with 10:27 to play. 

Late in the first, CNU went on a seven-point run and earned its first double-digit lead of the game, 32-20. Carrington Young and Suggs instantly responded with a seven-point run of their own as Young made two layups and Suggs knocked down his second 3-pointer of the game. 

Young converted two free throws at the end of the first half, cutting the deficit 36-33. The graduate student went into halftime with six points, two rebounds, two steals, and an assist. However, the Captains made a layup at the buzzer and went into halftime leading 38-33. 

Isräel Lockamy nailed a 3-pointer to open up the second half as Lynchburg trailed 38-36.

Not only did Thacker clean up the glass all game long, he also prevented many shots from reaching the backboard. The graduate student turned in two blocks early on in the second half and finished with three. 

His second block of the final period came at the 16:28 mark and kick-started another fast break for the Hornets. Lockamy grabbed the rebound after Thacker's block and found Suggs on the outlet. Suggs set up Savage for a quick, elbow jumper as the Hornets pulled within four points of the lead. 

Including that shot, Savage scored Lynchburg's next eight points in a span of 3:30, but the Captains kept pace and led 52-46 with 13:19 remaining. 

However, Savage's final two points of his eight-point streak ignited a nine-point run for the Hornets. With 10:43 to go. Suggs knocked down a jumper (from the same spot of his game winner on Saturday), giving Lynchburg its first lead of the game. 

The score stayed close for the rest of the night. In the final minute, Suggs came up with a steal and Lockamy scored on the other end as Lynchburg trailed 77-74. 

The Hornets had a look at the potential game-tying 3-pointer with six seconds remaining, but CNU won possession on a jump ball after the miss. Jason Aigner, CNU's leading scorer with 17 points, made two free throws to ice the game and the Hornets lost 79-74, their first loss since Nov. 19. 

Suggs, the hero from Saturday's win over Salisbury, led all scorers with 25 points, his most of the season. Thacker tallied his seventh double-double of the season with 10-12 (83.3%) shooting from the free throw line and eight offensive boards. He also leads Lynchburg with 15.1 points a game on the season. 

The Hornets (6-2, 2-0 ODAC) continue their seven-game holiday road trip with an out-of-conference matchup against William Peace on Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 4 p.m. Director of Digital Media, TJ Wengert will be on the airwaves for the call.

Visit Lynchburg athletics' home online, LynchburgSports.com, anytime for up-to-the-minute news on all Hornets sports and coverage from the Lynchburg Hornets Sports Network. Click here to sign up for email and text alerts from Lynchburg athletics.

Give Lynchburg Sports a like on Facebook, and follow Lynchburg athletics on Instagram and Twitter.

--LYN--