BALTIMORE, MD – Junior Jimmy Hammer poured in a tournament-record 36 points and seven three-pointers to lead Johns Hopkins past Moravian, 76-60, in the Blue Jay Invitational Friday night. The Blue Jays open the season with a win for the 22nd time under head coach Bill Nelson, while the Greyhounds fall to 0-1 on the season.
With the game tied at 29 apiece following a Cameron Cullen layup at the 3:34-mark in the first half, Hammer scored 11 unanswered points to give Hopkins a 40-29 lead just two minute later. It was a lead the Blue Jays would not relinquish. Cullen would sink a pair of free throws with four ticks on the clock to make it a nine-point game at the half. Moravian came out strong to start the second half, with a 7-2 burst as the Greyhounds cut the deficit to six.
Hopkins called timeout and then answered with back-to-back three-pointers from Hammer to push the lead back to 12 with 15:24 to play in the game. The teams traded buckets over the ensuing three minutes before Cullen and Izel Dickerson put up four straights points for the Greyhounds to make it a 52-43 game. The Blue Jays once again answered with buckets from downtown, but this time it was sophomore Gene Williams and Ryan Curran hitting from deep. Moravian could get no closer than nine over the remainder of the game and Hopkins pushed its lead to as many as 17 before taking the 16-point win.
The first half began much the same way as the first, with Moravian coming out strong. The Greyhounds took a quick 5-0 lead and then led 8-3 after Hammer and Dickerson traded three-point buckets. Junior George Bugarinovic then got a basket in the paint, followed by a triple from Hammer and the game was tied at eight apiece at the 15:21-mark. Blake English, who seemed unstoppable in the game's opening minutes, converted an old-fashioned three-point play to put the visitors back on top by three. The teams went back-and-forth for six minutes, with the Greyhounds never able to extend their lead to more than three points.
Trailing 21-18, Williams hit a three-pointer to kick-start a quick 7-1 run that saw the Blue Jays take a 25-22 lead by the 7:09 mark. Bugarinovic finished the run with a pair from the charity stripe. The Greyhounds answered with five straight points, capped by a Kenny Gula layup at 5:27 to take a 27-25 lead. Bugarinovic and senior Connor McIntyre followed with back-to-back layups to retake a two-point lead. But it didn't last long as Cullen tied the game one minute later on his bucket in the paint. As it turned out, the game was just getting started, as Hammer would give the Blue Jays the lead for good with his 11-point burst.
Hammer went 13-of-18 from the field, including 7-of-11 from three-point, to finish with a career-high 36 points. It is the most points by a Blue Jay since Jedan Phillips punched up 37 versus Gettysburg on January 7, 1987 – nearly five years before Hammer was born. It is also the fourth highest total in school history. His seven three-point field goals were also a career-high and are one shy of the school record. Bugarinovic added 12 points, five assists and three steals, while McIntyre punched up a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds while also blocking four shots. English led the Greyhounds with 17 points, 14 of those coming in the game's first 10 minutes, to go with eight rebounds and a game-high five blocks. Cullen finished with eight points and a team-high nine boards.
Hopkins will face Wesley in the championship game of the Blue Jay Invitational at 8:00 pm on Saturday, November 16. Wesley defeated Mount Saint Mary, 66-55, in the opening game. Moravian will square off against Mount Saint Mary in the consolation game at 6:00 pm on Saturday.