BALTIMORE, MD – The 13th-ranked Johns Hopkins men's basketball team got a combined 47 points from its four seniors en route to an 87-58 win over visiting Washington College on senior day at Goldfarb Gym. The Blue Jays close out the regular season with a 22-3 overall record and a 16-2 mark in the Centennial Conference. The Shoremen end their season with a 4-21 record, including a 4-14 record in the conference.
This one was close early as there were eight ties and five lead changes in the opening 15 minutes, but the Blue Jays closed the half on a 14-4 run to take a 35-25 lead into the half. Senior Luke Chambers got the run going with a fast-break layup at 5:04, followed by a pair of free throws from classmate Jimmy Hammer and Hopkins led 25-21. Washington College cut the deficit in half with a Pat Morgan jumper but back-to-back buckets by junior Matt Billups and Chambers pushed the lead up to six with 3:37 to play in the half.
John Weston pulled the Shoremen within four with a fast-break bucket off a James Drury steal, but Hammer answered on the other end with a bucket from downtown. It was his second of the day and broke Andy Enfield's school record of 234 career three-pointers – a record that had stood since 1991. Sophomore Ryan Curran then closed out the first-half scoring with a three to send the Blue Jays into the half up 10.
Senior George Bugarinovic extended the lead to 12 coming out of the lockerroom with a pull-up jumper. Morgan answered with a three and then Chambers and Tax Dixon traded baskets to make it 39-30 Hopkins. Chambers then hit a bucket in the paint to kick start a 14-2 run that saw the Jays' lead swell to 21 with 13:43 to play. Curran capped the run with a put-back in the paint and the teams then traded buckets as Hopkins led 61-39 at the 11:59-mark.
Washington College, which already had a win over a top-20 team this season, wasn't going away. The Shoremen used a Weston three-pointer to spark a 10-2 run that saw the deficit cut to 14. A conventional three-point play by Davis Knox capped the run as Hopkins led 63-49. That's as close as Hopkins would let the visitors get as junior Gene Williams nailed a three to ignite a 15-1 spurt. Five different players scored during the run and senior Omar Randall put the punctuation on it with a pair of free throws with 3:25 to play giving the Jays a 78-50 lead. Hopkins would lead by as many as 31 in the final three minutes.
Hammer led all scorers with 20 points and eight rebounds, his seventh 20-point game of the season. Chambers tied his career highs with 12 points and five rebounds, while Williams also added 12 points. Weston led the Shoremen with 15 points and four assists. Morgan chipped in 12 points and Sean Flanigan added 10. The Blue Jays' 22 wins are the most in program history at the conclusion of the regular season. It is also the seventh 20-win season under head coach Bill Nelson.
Hopkins will return to action on Friday, February 27 as the Blue Jays host the 2015 Centennial Conference Championship. Hopkins will take on the winner of the Gettysburg-McDaniel game at 8:00 pm at Goldfarb Gym. Dickinson and Franklin & Marshall will square off in the first semifinal at 6:00 pm.