The Basics
• Score: #1 Swarthmore-83, #7 Johns Hopkins-69
• Records: JHU (19-3, 13-2 CC) • SC (22-0, 15-0 CC)
• Location: Baltimore, MD • Goldfarb Gym
How it Happened
The top-ranked Swarthmore College men's basketball team used an 11-0 run early in the second half to break open a close game and the Garnet went on to top seventh-ranked Johns Hopkins, 83-69, at Goldfarb Gymnasium Wednesday evening.
After a Joey Kern jumper opened the second half for Johns Hopkins, the Garnet quickly stretched the lead to double figures with the 11-0 run that turned a 41-38 lead into a 52-38 advantage. A Conor Harkins three-pointer ignited the spree for the Garnet, who capped the run with a conventional three-point play from Nate Shafer.
The Garnet extended the lead to a game-high 20 at 63-43 with 11:17 on the clock with a pair of George Visconti free throws, but the Blue Jays began to slice into the lead and had it down to nine at 65-56 after a 13-2 run over a span of just under four minutes.
A jumper in the lane from freshman Carson James got the Blue Jays started and he added a three-pointer moments later to grab the momentum. Three straight buckets from junior Conner Delaney, including a three-point play, brought the Blue Jays to 65-56 with 7:33 to play, but Swarthmore answered at the free throw line as the Garnet hit 11-of-14 from the line down the stretch to seal the victory.
In a first half that saw six ties and four lead changes, it was the Garnet who grabbed a five-point lead at intermission by scoring 10 of the last 15 points of the opening 20 minutes.
Tied at 31 after a Harry O'Neil layup for the Blue Jays, Swarthmore jump-started its half-ending run with back-to-back three-pointers by Harkins and Visconti in a 36-second span that quickly made it 37-31. The Blue Jays got a late three-pointer from Delaney and a jumper from Braeden Johnson to make it a five-point game at the half at 41-36.
The Kern jumper came just 27 seconds into the second half, but the Garnet answered with the 11-0 game-deciding run and the Blue Jays were never closer than nine in the final 17 minutes.
What it Means
• Johns Hopkins had its 10-game winning streak snapped, while the Garnet extended their winning streak to 22.
• This was just the second game in Centennial Conference history featuring two teams ranked in the top 10 in the nation at the time of the game. Both of the games have involved Johns Hopkins.
Inside the Box Score
• Delaney scored a team-high 24 points for the Blue Jays, while Harkins paced the Garnet with 25.
• In addition to Harkins' 25, the Garnet got 18 points and 14 rebounds from Zac O'Dell and 16 points from Vinny DeAngelo.
• Delaney was the only Blue Jay in double figures. O'Neil (9), Johnson (8) and Kern (8) combined for 25 points, but Hopkins shot just 38.2% from the floor (26-of-68) and connected on just 8-of-36 from three-point range.
Up Next
• Johns Hopkins is back in action on Saturday, February 15 when the Blue Jays make the short trip to Ursinus to take on the Bears in another Centennial Conference game.