The Basics
• Score: #13 Johns Hopkins-81, Drew-70
• Records: JHU (9-1) • Drew (7-2)
• Location: Hoboken, NJ • Canavan Arena
How it Happened
The Johns Hopkins men's basketball team got a game-high 23 points from junior Conner Delaney and held off a late rally to beat Drew, 81-70, Sunday night at the Stevens Holiday Tournament.
The Blue Jays, playing for the first time in 19 days, found themselves trailing by five early. A fast-break layup by Delaney and a four-point play from sophomore Tom Quarry sparked a 30-10 run that spanned more than 12 minutes. Seven different players scored during the run that saw Hopkins force Drew into just 1-of-12 shooting and nine turnovers during the span. Delaney book-ended the run with a driving layup to stake the Blue Jays to a 30-10 lead with 5:02 to play in the half.
Michael Kane hit a layup 30 seconds later to end a six-minute scoring drought for the Rangers. The teams would trade scores over the final four and a half minutes and Hopkins took a 35-17 lead into the break. The Blue Jays led by as much as 21 in the first half while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, including 40.0 percent from downtown.
Leading 37-21 early in the second, Hopkins got five straight points from Delaney and junior Joey Kern to push the lead to 21. The teams would go back to swapping scores and the Blue Jays led 49-27 on a Harry O'Neil three-pointer with 13:32 to play. JHU's lead was still 20 five minutes later, but Drew wasn't going down without a fight.
Cole Hanntz drained a three-pointer to ignite a 17-5 run that saw Hopkins' lead trimmed to just eight with 2:21 remaining. The Rangers did most of their damage from three-point range during the run. Six unanswered points from O'Neil and Delaney pushed the Blue Jays' lead to 71-57 at the 1:30-mark. Drew twice cut the deficit to eight in the final 90 seconds, but Hopkins went 8-of-9 from the line during that span to secure the win.
What it Means
• Hopkins improves to 2-1 all-time against Drew in the first meeting between the two since the 1938-39 season.
• At 9-1, it is the Blue Jays' best start to the season since 2006-07 when JHU also went 9-1 through the first 10 games.
Inside the Box Score
• Delaney led three Blue Jays in double figures with 23 points, on 8-of-12 shooting. He also grabbed six rebounds, handed out five assists and grabbed three steals. He now has 204 assists in his career to rank 20th in program history.
• Quarry finished with 14 points while Kern added 13. O'Neil just missed a double-double as he notched nine points and nine boards.
• Hopkins shot 50.9 percent from the field for the game, including 55.5 percent in the second half.
• Riley Collins led the Rangers with 22 points, four assists and three steals. Lybrant Robinson added 17 points and Howard McBurnie, Jr. chipped in 11. Malachi Walker, Jr. had a team-best seven rebounds and three blocks. Drew had won five straight, all by double digits, entering the game.
Up Next
• Hopkins faces another one-loss team as the Blue Jays take on the host Stevens Ducks in the championship game. Tip-off is slated for 3:00 pm on Monday, December 30 at Canavan Arena.