HUNTINGDON, PA – In the first meeting between the two former UAA opponents since 2001, Case Western rallied in the closing minutes to defeat Johns Hopkins, 81-77, in the opening game of the Juniata Holiday Tournament. The Blue Jays, in action for the first time in four weeks, falls to 4-6 on the season, while the Spartans improve to 7-2.

Hopkins led by two at the break after freshman Ryan Curran drove the paint and hit a layup with 25 seconds to go. Three straight layups by senior Daniel Corbett and Jimmy Hammer to open the second stanza pushed the Blue Jays lead to eight at the 17:31 mark. Tim Chung cut the deficit back to five with a three-pointer, but sophomore Gene Williams answered with one of his own, followed by a bucket in the paint by junior George Bugarinovic and Hopkins held a 48-38 lead.

Chung once again hit from three-point range and added a free throw to make it a six-point game at the 15:48-mark. Williams came right back with another bucket from downtown to push the lead back to nine at 51-42. The Spartans answered however with three straight baskets to ignite a 14-5 run that saw them tie the game on Dane McLoughlin's three with 9:58 to play. Bugarinovic put the Blue Jays back on top with a pair of free throws, followed by five straight points from senior Connor McIntyre, sandwiched around a McLoughlin triple, to stake Hopkins to a 63-59 lead.

The teams traded buckets over the ensuing two and a half minutes before Case Western strung together six straight points, four of those coming from the free throw line, to take a 71-70 lead with 4:05 to play. It was the Spartans' first lead since exactly the same point in the first half. The Blue Jays retook the lead on a Hammer bucket in the paint and led by two after one of two free throws by Corbett. McLoughlin and Corbett then traded buckets and the Blue Jays led 75-73 with 1:30 on the clock.

On the ensuing possession, David Thompson put the Spartans ahead with an old-fashioned three-point play. Following a Blue Jay turnover, Jimmy Holman hit a pair of free throws with 30 seconds to play to make it a three-point game. Hopkins would trim the deficit to one just 10 seconds later with a pair of Hammer free throws. Hopkins would send Holman back to the line, and he made one of two shots to make it a two-point game. But the Blue Jays would turn the ball over on the next possession and Holman would seal the win with a pair of free throws.

It was a tight game from the opening tip as neither team led by more than five and there were seven ties and seven lead changes in the first half alone. Trailing 16-14 with 13:21 to play in the half, Bugarinovic second five unanswered points to put the Blue Jays up by three just over two minutes later. Two Julien Person made it a one-point game with a pair from the charity stripe, but a pair of Matt Billups' buckets pushed the lead to five with 10:07 to go. Case Western came back with 11-4 spurt to take a 29-27 lead on a McLoughlin three-pointer with 5:30 on the clock. The teams traded buckets over the final minutes and Curran had the final say with his drive-and-score with 25 seconds left.

Bugarinovic led three Blue Jays in double figures with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Hammer punched up 17 points, going 3-of-3 from three-point range while also handing out three assists, while McIntyre added 11 points and three blocks. McLoughlin led all scorers with 26 points, while also grabbing eight boards. Thompson added a double double with 20 points and 13 boards, while Chung finished with 10 points and four helpers.

Hopkins will face Valley Forge Christian in the consolation game of the Juniata Holiday Tournament. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 pm.