GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Gettysburg College (10-6, 4-5 CC) gave 15th-ranked Johns Hopkins University (14-2, 8-1 CC) a run for its money for the second time this season, but the visiting Blue Jays held off the hard-charging Bullets for a 77-71 decision in Centennial Conference men's basketball action from inside Bream Gym Wednesday night.
Top Performers - Gettysburg
- Avery Close '21 (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville) – 20 points, 7 rebounds
- Nick Antolini '20 (Babylon, N.Y./Babylon) – 16 points, 4 assists
- Nick Lord '20 (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor) – 10 points
- Alex Leder '21 (Bethesda, Md./Bullis) – 4 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists
- Danny Duffey '20 (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland) – 9 points, 3 rebounds
Top Performers – Johns Hopkins
- Harry O'Neil – 20 points, 11 rebounds
- Conner Delaney – 16 points, 5 assists
- Joey Kern – 13 points, 8 rebounds
- Braeden Johnson – 12 points
How It Happened…
- First Half
- The game jumped out to a thunderous start as Antolini flushed back-to-back dunks, the first a two-handed slam in the paint and the second a one-handed flush in transition. The Bullets jumped ahead 8-3 following two free throws by Close with 16:19 left in the first half.
- Johns Hopkins, the conference's leader in three-pointers made per game, posted its first 21 points on shots from beyond the arc. Gettysburg maintained its advantage, however, and jumped in front by seven (28-21) following a three-pointer and lay-up by Close with 7:48 left.
- Despite a pair of three-pointers by Lord in the final minutes, the Blue Jays held a 39-38 lead at the break.
- Second Half
- Close helped reestablish Gettysburg's lead early in the second half, knocking down a three-pointer before picking up the hoop and the harm for an old-fashioned three-point play. The junior found Antolini cutting to the hoop for another score and a lay-in by Duffey put the Bullets in front 48-42 with 16:16 on the clock.
- Delaney and O'Neil powered the Blue Jays back in front with a 17-6 run. The two each tallied six points during the surge as the visitors gained a 59-54 lead with less than nine minutes remaining.
- Johns Hopkins grew its lead to seven at 66-59 with five minutes left, but the hosts rallied behind three-pointers by Antolini and Close to pull within one. Coming out of a timeout, Delaney hit a step-back three-pointer with the shot clock set to expire to lift his team back to a four-point lead. Freshman Elijah Williams (Washington, D.C./Sidwell Friends) pulled Gettysburg within two points with a pair of free throws only to see Delaney step up and convert a lay-up to regain the four-point advantage at 71-67.
- The Blue Jays knocked down six free throws in the final 1:36 to seal the win.
By the Numbers
- The first and third-ranked teams in the conference in three-pointers made coming into the night, Johns Hopkins and Gettysburg combined for 55 attempts from beyond the arc. Both teams hit double-figure three-pointers for the ninth time this season with the Blue Jays knocking down 13 and the Bullets hitting 10.
- Johns Hopkins finished 25-of-55 (45.5 percent) from the floor, while Gettysburg finished 26-of-59 (44.1). The Blue Jays held a 39-31 edge in rebounds.
- The Bullets dished out 20 or more assists for the fourth time this season. Leder's 11 dimes were a career high and tied Brendan Hager '10 for the most by a Gettysburg player over the last 47 years.
- Close finished 7-of-13 from the floor and hit all three of his three-point tries and all three of his free throws on the way to his first 20-point effort of the season. Over the last three games, the junior center has hit 16-of-27 (59.2 percent) of his field goals, including all but one of his six three-point attempts.
Where the Series Stands
Johns Hopkins extended its win streak against Gettysburg to seven. The Bullets hold a 10-game lead in the all-time series at 52-42.
Next Up
Gettysburg visits Muhlenberg College (12-4, 5-4 CC) for a key conference match up this Saturday at 4 p.m.