CLEVELAND, OH – The Johns Hopkins men's basketball team rallied from a seven-point deficit in the final three minutes to beat Bluffton, 58-56, in the consolation game of the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Memorial Tournament at Case Western Saturday. The Blue Jays get their first win of the season as they even their record at 1-1, while the Beavers slip to 0-2 on the season.
Trailing 53-46 with 2:58 to play following a three-pointer from Josh Johnson, Hopkins ended the game on a 12-3 rally to earn the win. Sophomore Jimmy Hammer got things going as he answered Johnson's three with one of his one, followed by a triple from senior Mike Rhoads and Bluffton's lead was one. Sophomore George Bugarinovic then put the Blue Jays on top with a jumper at 1:07 to make it a 54-53 game. The Blue Jays would not trail again.
Senior Adam Spengler then grabbed a steal and hit a fast-break layup to push the lead to three with 32 seconds on the clock. Bluffton then fouled Rhoads and he hit one of two to make it a four-point game. Josh Fisher came right back for the Beavers with an old-fashioned three-point play to cut the deficit back to one with 12 ticks on the clock. Hammer was charged with an offensive foul on the Jays' ensuing possession, giving the ball back to the Beavers. But Johnson missed on the target on what would have been the go-ahead basket. Rhoads corralled the rebound and was promptly fouled, sending him to the line with one second to play, where he hit one of two to seal the win.
It was a back-and-forth affair from the start as the game saw six ties and 11 lead changes, with neither team leading by more than seven. Fisher gave Bluffton a two-point lead with a bucket from downtown at 16:53, kick-starting a quick 10-2 burst that saw the Beavers take a 14-7 lead. Hopkins responded, beginning with a three-point play by junior Aleksandar Nikolic, and ending with a free throw from freshman Niko Kotoulas that staked Hopkins to a 17-16 lead with 6:53 to play. The teams traded buckets over the remainder of the half and went into the locker room tied at 23 points apiece.
Hopkins got off to a good start coming out of the half and pushed out to a six-point lead five minutes in. Bluffton got back into with a quick seven unanswered points to take a 38-37 lead with 13:31 to play in the half. Once again, the teams traded buckets, as neither team was able to take more than a one-point lead over the ensuing five minutes.
Tyler Neal sparked the Beavers' offense at the 8:24 mark when he drained a three-pointer and ignited a 9-0 run that gave Bluffton a seven-point lead with 5:54 to go. Hopkins trimmed the deficit back to four with a Hammer bucket in the paint and a free throw from senior Alex Pandrangi. But a three-pointer from Johnson pushed the Beavers' lead back to seven. That would be the Beavers' last bucket until just 12 seconds remained.
Rhoads led Hopkins with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting with four rebounds, while Pandrangi punched up 11 points with a game-high six rebounds. Bugarinovic, who earned all-tournament team honors, finished with six points, three assists and a pair of blocks. Bluffton was led by Neal, who went 6-of-8 from the floor, including 3-of-3 from downtown for a game-high 15 points. He was one of four Beavers to finish in double figures. Hopkins shot 51.1 percent from the floor for the game, including 58.3 percent in the second half. Bluffton finished at a 38.3 percent clip for the game. Hopkins also won the battle of the boards, 34-29.
Hopkins returns to action on Tuesday, November 20 as the Blue Jays open Centennial Conference play at Haverford. Tip off is slated for 8:00 pm at Gooding Arena.