BALTIMORE, MD – Sophomore Gene Williams scored a game-high 18 points and junior George Bugarinovic added 15 to lead Johns Hopkins to 67-54 win over visiting Franklin & Marshall in Centennial Conference action Wednesday night. The Blue Jays improve to 12-8 overall and 9-4 in the CC, moving into a tie with the Diplomats (13-7, 9-4 CC) for third place. Though JHU swept F&M, giving the Blue Jays the tiebreaker. Hopkins sweeps the season series with Franklin & Marshall for the first time since 2006-07 and won both games by double digits for the first time in series history.
The first half was tightly contested with nine ties and two lead changes and neither team led by more than five points. Jon Salandra tied the game at the 2:26-mark in the first half with a bucket in the paint, but a fast-break lay-up by Williams put Hopkins back on top, 30-28. Salandra then cut the deficit in half on the Dips' ensuing possession after making one of two shots from the free throw line. Junior Luke Chambers and Williams would drain back-to-back jumpers in the 71 seconds of the half to send JHU into the break with a 34-29 lead.
After Terrel Phelps made it a three-point game with 18:21 to go in the game, senior Daniel Corbett and junior Jimmy Hammer sandwiched three-pointers around a Cedric Moune jumper and Hopkins led 40-33. Salandra pulled the Diplomats within five following a timeout, but another Blue Jay three-pointer, this time from Williams, pushed the lead to eight with 15:49 to go. Franklin & Marshall chipped away at the lead and got to within two twice in the ensuing three minutes, but each time Hopkins answered. The Blue Jays led 50-45 following a made free throw by Hammer with 10:45 on the clock, but Morgan Lee and Salandra each went one-of-one from the line to make it a three-point game less than two minutes later.
A Williams' triple doubled the lead back to six with 8:32 to go, but a Matt Porter free throw and a fast-break lay-up from Jared Wright once again made it a three-point game. Senior Connor McIntyre came back with a pair of shots from the charity stripe to ignite a 14-2 run as the Blue Jays pushed out to a 67-52 lead with 1:24 to go in the game. McIntyre, Hammer, Bugarinovic and Williams fueled the run for Hopkins, scoring all 14 points. Porter would get a late bucket off an offensive board to account for the final.
Williams led the Blue Jays with 18 points, while hitting four three-pointers, while Bugarinovic added 15 points and a team-high five rebounds. McIntyre finished with four blocks, giving him 118 for his career and moving him into third in Hopkins history. Lee and Salandra finished with 12 points apiece for the Diplomats, while Porter added 11 and Moune posted a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 15 boards.
Hopkins returns to action on Saturday, February 8 as Swarthmore visits Goldfarb Gym. The Centennial Conference match-up is set for a 3:00 pm tip.