SWARTHMORE, PA – The 13th-ranked Johns Hopkins men's basketball team overcame a 20-point second-half deficit to stave off upset-minded Swarthmore, 56-55, in Centennial Conference action Saturday afternoon. The Blue Jays run their win streak to 16 as they move to 19-2 overall and 13-1 in the CC. The Garnet fall to 8-13 on the season and 4-10 in the league.
Trailing 46-26 with 12:41 to play following a Robbie Walsh layup, the Blue Jays would outscore the Garnet, 30-9, to pull out the win. A Gene Williams three-pointer ignited a 7-1 spurt for Hopkins that saw the deficit cut to 14 just over three minutes later. Back-to-back jumpers by Chris Bourne quickly pushed Swarthmore's lead back to 18 at the 7:41-mark. A minute later, senior Jimmy Hammer drained a pair of free throws to kick start what turned out to be a 23-4 game-ending run. That started a streak of six straight free throws for the Jays, followed by a Hammer bucket from downtown and just like that the deficit was single digits with 5:25 to go.
Hammer then hit one of two shots from the line followed by two free throws from freshman Kyle Doran as the Blue Jays chipped away at the deficit with the clock stopped. Zack Yonda ended the Blue Jays' run with two shots from the charity stripe at the 4:36-mark, but Hammer came right back with a triple to make it a five-point game. Matt Brennan hit a jumper on the other end for the Garnet, giving the home team a 55-48 lead with 3:24 to go. As it turns out, that would be Swarthmore's last points of the game.
After trading empty possessions, Hammer was fouled and went to the line with 2:46 to play. He hit both shots to pull the Blue Jays back within five. The Garnet came up empty once again and this time it was sophomore Ryan Curran hitting from deep to make it a one-score game. On the ensuing possession, Swarthmore couldn't convert, including a missed free throw on a one-and-one with 42 ticks on the clock. Senior George Bugarinovic controlled the rebound and the Blue Jays took over trailing by two.
Hopkins missed on its ensuing shot but maintained possession. Sophomore Nikhil Panu inbounded to Curran, who scored and drew the foul. He converted his free throw to give Hopkins a 56-55 lead, its first lead since 19:53 in the first half, with 23 seconds to go. Karl Barkley had a chance to win it at the buzzer for Swarthmore, but his three-point shot missed the mark.
This one was close early as Swarthmore led 11-9 with 12:36 to play in the first half after a Hammer jumper in the paint. The lead quickly swelled to 14 however as a Sam Lebryk three-pointer started a 12-0 run for the Garnet that was capped by a Barkley triple. The Blue Jays pulled back within 10 but seven straight points by Bourne gave the home team a 17-point advantage with 5:18 on the clock. Hopkins again chipped away at the deficit, getting it 13, but once again Swarthmore answered with the final four points of the half to take a 34-17 lead into the break.
The teams went back-and-forth to start the second half and the Blue Jays twice got within 15, but each time the Garnet answered. Barkley and Walsh sandwiched buckets around a free throw from Matt Brennan as Swarthmore took its largest lead of the game with 12:41 to play. As it turned out, this game was far from over.
Hammer led the Blue Jays with a game-high 22 points, his 15th career 20-point game. He also grabbed six rebounds in 36 minutes of action. Curran was the only other Blue Jay to finish in double figures, as he chipped in 11 points. Bourne led the Garnet with 13 points, while Yonda added 12 and Walsh had 10. The Blue Jays turned the tables in the second half. After shooting just 23.1 percent from the field in the first, Hopkins shot 42.3 percent. On the other end, Swarthmore went from shooting 50.0 percent in the first to just 37.5 percent in the second.
Hopkins returns to action on Wednesday, February 11 as the Blue Jays host the Gettysburg Bullets. Tip-off at Goldfarb Gym is slated for 8:00 pm.