The Basics
• Score: #15 Johns Hopkins-77, McDaniel-61
• Records: JHU (3-2, 1-0 CC) • MC (2-1, 0-1 CC)
• Location: Baltimore, MD • Goldfarb Gym
• The Short Story: Sophomore Joey Kern punched up a game-high 18 points to lead the 15th-ranked Johns Hopkins men's basketball team to a 77-61 win over McDaniel in both teams' Centennial Conference opener Tuesday night.
How it Happened
• In just a prelude of what was to come, Kern drained a trio of three-pointers in the game's opening 1:50 to stake Hopkins to an early 9-2 lead. McDaniel twice made it a four-point game over the ensuing two and a half minutes, but JHU answered each time.
• After an Isaac Ray layup made it a 14-9 game, junior Harry O'Neil answered with a layup to spark a 9-0 run that pushed the lead to 14 at the 10:52-mark. Kaelen Kanealey ended the run with a jumper and Caleb Johnson followed with five straight points and it was 23-15 Blue Jays with 8:43 to go.
• O'Neil responded with six unanswered points and just like that the lead was 13 just two and a half minutes later. The Green Terror came back with a 7-2 spurt to slice the deficit back to single digits. That was short-lived as the Blue Jays closed the half on a 11-6 run to take a 42-29 lead into the lockerroom.
• The teams traded buckets over the opening two minutes of the second and Hopkins led 44-36. Senior Michael Gardner and sophomore Conner Delaney then hit back-to-back three-pointers to kick start a 10-0 run as Hopkins pushed out to an 18-point lead. The Blue Jays' lead ballooned to as much as 21 points as they went on to grab the 16-point win.
What it Means
• Hopkins improves to 87-77-1 all-time against McDaniel and wins its fifth straight in the series.
Inside the Box Score
• Kern finished 6-of-9 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from downtown, to lead five players in double figures. This is the first time Hopkins has had five players finish in double figures since February 10, 2018. Kern's five three-pointers match his career high.
• O'Neil and Gardner chipped in 13 points apiece, while freshman Tom Quarry scored 12 and Delaney added 10. Delaney and Gardner also handed out four assists each.
• Johnson led the Green Terror with 12 points and DJ Harper scored 11.
Up Next
• Hopkins is back on the road on Sunday, November 25 as the Blue Jays travel to Arlington, VA to take on Marymount. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 pm.