BALTIMORE, MD – Visiting Franklin & Marshall outscored Johns Hopkins 14-9 in the second overtime to defeat the Blue Jays 76-71 in Centennial Conference action Wednesday night. The Blue Jays fall to 9-7 on the season and 5-4 in the conference, while the Diplomats improve to 13-3 overall and 8-1 in the CC. Sophomore Jimmy Hammer scored a game-high 21 points, with five three-pointers, to pace the Blue Jays.
Tied at 62 apiece heading into the second overtime, Franklin & Marshall came out and got back-to-back buckets to take a four-point lead just over a minute in. Hopkins came back with a bucket from sophomore George Bugarinovic and a deep three from Hammer to take a 67-66 lead with 2:52 to play. The teams traded points on successive possessions but an Ed Early put back and a pair of free throws from Brandon Beckford staked F&M to a 72-69 lead with 1:09 on the clock. Hammer swung the lead back in Hopkins favor with a bucket in the paint, but Morgan Lee answered with a jumper of his own 30 seconds later. The Blue Jays couldn't convert on their next possession and were forced to foul. Hayk Gyokchyan went to the line and sank both of his shots, sealing the five-point win for the Dips.
Fans were treated to a great game from the opening tip, as there were 17 ties and 15 lead changes and neither team was able to build more than a six-point lead. Matt Porter put the Dips on top 6-4 just over four minutes into the game before a Bugarinovic jumper tied the game. Hopkins then took the lead on a jumper by freshman Matt Chiusano at 14:08. Gyokchyan tied it again on a bucket in the paint, but a back-to-back buckets from Hammer, including a three-pointer, sandwiched around an Early score and Hopkins led 13-10 with 12:23 to go.
Hopkins held the lead for the next five minutes until a layup from Early and a Porter jumper made it a 16-16 game. The Blue Jays then retook the lead on a basket in the paint from junior Connor McIntyre. However, Franklin & Marshall took over for the ensuing four minutes with a 10-2 burst that saw the visitors take a 26-20 lead with 1:01 to go in the half. Senior Adam Spengler would trim the deficit by two with a fast-break layup to end the half with the Blue Jays trailing by four.
The Blue Jays came out strong to start the second half, using an 8-2 spurt to take a 30-28 lead on a Spengler layup. The Diplomats came right back with an 8-0 spurt of their own, with Porter and Gyokchyan combining for all eight points as F&M took a 36-30 lead. Hopkins kept chipping away at the deficit and finally took a 45-44 lead thanks to a layup by Spengler at 6:34. Gyokchyan tied the game with a free throw, but Chiusano pushed JHU back on top, 47-45, on the next possession.
The teams traded free throws on ensuing possessions and Hopkins led 49-47 with 4:46 remaining. Early then tied the game for the Dips with a bucket in the paint before a Brewer layup put F&M ahead just a minute later. Bugarinovic answered for the Blue Jays, but Early was there on the other end for the Dips and they led 53-51. Hopkins had a chance to tie the game with 1:38 on the clock with Bugarinovic on the line, but he made just one of two shots to cut the deficit in half. The Blue Jay defense got a stop on the other end of the floor and on a fast break attempt, freshman Gene Williams was fouled. Williams hit one of two shots with 34.2 seconds on the clock to tie the game at 53 apiece. Terrel Phelps had a shot to win it with a three for F&M at with time winding down, but Bugarinovic corralled the rebound and the teams were headed to overtime.
Just over a minute into the first overtime, Bugarinovic hit one of two free throws and McIntyre converted a layup to put the home team up 56-53. Porter pulled F&M within one on the Dips next possession, cashing in on an offensive rebound. After a miss on the other end by the Blue Jays, Lee converted an old-fashioned three-point play and F&M led by two. The teams went back-and-forth over the next minute plus with Spengler giving Hopkins a two-point lead on a jumper with 54 ticks on the clock. Lee was able to get open on the next possession however and knocked down a jumper at the 38-second mark to pull the Dips even. McIntyre missed the go-ahead bucket on the subsequent possession and Jon Salandra grabbed the rebound and called timeout. With just 1.8 seconds on the clock, the Dips got a great look at the basket by Early as his three-point shot hit the rim, bounced up off the backboard and then off the rim as time expired.
Hammer tied his career-highs with 21 points and five made three-pointers, while also dishing out two assists and grabbing three steals in a game-high 46 minutes. Spengler finished with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting and handed out a career-best seven assists to go with two steals. Bugarinovic posted a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while also blocking three shots. Porter paced five Diplomats in double figures with 18 points, while Lee finished with 17 points, with all 17 coming in the final 22 minutes of the game. Early (14 points) and Gyokchyan (13 points) also finished in double digits while Salandra grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
Hopkins returns to action on Saturday, January 19 as the Blue Jays travel to Carlisle, PA to take on the Dickinson Red Devils. The Blue Jays will hope to avenge in overtime loss to the Devils when they tip off at 4:00 pm at the Kline Center.