GETTYSBURG, PA – Host Gettysburg used a 12-3 run that turned a six-point deficit into a three-point lead and went on to defeat Johns Hopkins, 64-55, on Wednesday night in Centennial Conference (CC) action. The Blue Jays fall to 13-9 overall and 10-5 in the CC and are now tied for third in the standings with the F&M Diplomats and Muhlenberg Mules. The Bullets improve to 10-12 and 8-7 in the CC. Senior Connor McIntyre blocked five shots to move into second place in school history with 124 career blocks.
McIntyre completed a three-point play at the 4:14-mark in the first half to stake Hopkins to a 25-19 lead. Sean Gordon and Joe Emerusabe then sandwiched buckets around a George Bugarinovic free throw and the lead was cut in half. After a pair of Gene Williams free throws pushed the Blue Jays lead back to five with 2:29 to play in the half, the Bullets got baskets from Mlynue Reeves and Pete Christ to cut the lead to just one at the break.
Coming out of the half, Tanner Kirkpatrick drained a three-pointer to give Gettysburg its first lead of the game. Kevin Gladstone then pushed the lead to three and capped the Bullets' 12-3 run with a made free throw that gave Gettysburg a 31-28 lead at 17:57. The teams traded baskets and Hopkins then tied the game, the only tie of the game, at 14:07 with a three-pointer from the corner by sophomore Niko Kotoulas to knot the score at 35-all.
The Bullets answered with a 13-3 run as they pushed out to a 48-38 lead with 8:17 to go. Six different players scored during the run that spanned more than five and a half minutes. The teams went back-and-forth before a three-point play by sophomore Austin Vasiliadis made it an eight-point game with 4:17 to play. That's as close as the Blue Jays could get in the final five minutes as the Bullets would push their lead to as much as 13 before winning by nine.
Hopkins pushed out to an eight-point lead with a 12-4 run to open the game, capped by a three-pointer from junior Jimmy Hammer at 13:31. The lead see-sawed up and down and the Blue Jays led 19-11 with 8:22 to play in the half on a Matt Billups bucket in the paint. A pair of Kirkpatrick free throws kick-started an 8-3 burst by the Bullets that saw them trim the deficit to just three at the 4:27-mark. McIntyre doubled the Blue Jays' lead with that three-point play with 4:14 to go. That six-point advantage would be short-lived as the Bullets rallied to end the half trailing by just one.
Vasiliadis led the Blue Jays with a career-high 13 points while also swiping a career-best four steals. Bugarinovic was the only other Blue Jay to finish in double digits as he just missed a double-double with 12 points and nine boards. McIntyre finished with a game-high five blocks, just one shy of his career high, while also handing out three assists. He now has 48 blocks this season, which ranks fourth in school single-season history. Gladstone led three Bullets in double figures with 14 points, while Kirkpatrick posted a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Gordon chipped in 10 points a game-high six helpers.
Hopkins returns to action on Saturday, February 15 as the Blue Jays take on the league-leading Dickinson Red Devils. Tip-off at Goldfarb Gym is slated for 1:00 pm. Hopkins will honor its three seniors prior to the game.