The Basics

• Score: Johns Hopkins-78, #9 Christopher Newport-74

• Records: JHU (1-0) • CNU (0-1)

• Location: Baltimore, MD • Goldfarb Gym

• The Short Story: The Johns Hopkins men's basketball team scored six points in the final 19 seconds to beat ninth-ranked Christopher Newport, 78-74, in both teams' season opener Saturday night at Goldfarb Gym.

How it Happened

            Trailing 74-72 after an Adrian Beasley layup, junior Joey Kern went to the line with 19 seconds to play. He made the first but missed the second. Sophomore Chid Nnake got the miss and laid it in, while drawing a foul. Nnake made his shot to put Hopkins up 76-74. On the ensuing possession, Jason Aigner missed from deep and sophomore Braeden Johnson was fouled while grabbing the rebound. He sank both free throws with 2.2 ticks on the clock to push the lead to four and seal the win.

            This one was close from the start as there were three ties and three lead changes in the game's opening 10 minutes. Dalon McHugh gave Christopher Newport a 13-12 lead at the 10:42-mark, but a Conner Delaney jumper on the other end swung the lead back to Hopkins. That bucket sparked an 11-3 Blue Jay run that saw the lead grow to seven with 7:48 to play. Johnson capped the run with five straight points to stake Hopkins to a 23-16 lead.

            A Savonte Chappell layup and a pair of McHugh free throws made it a three-point game with 6:23 left. Sophomore Tom Quarry answered with two shots from the charity stripe to make it a25-20 game. A layup from Ian Anderson jump-started a 13-4 run that spanned just two and a half minutes and saw CNU go up 33-29. Sophomore Alex Schachne drained a jumper in the paint, followed by a triple from Quarry and Hopkins led 34-33 with 1:12 to play. Anderson grabbed the lead back for the Captains with a bucket in the paint, but Quarry answered with two free throws and the Blue Jays led 36-35 at the break.

            CNU came out firing, hitting back-to-back three-pointers to go up 41-38 just 90 seconds into the second. The lead see-sawed up and down for the next four and a half minutes as the Blue Jays stayed within four. Aigner and Beasley drained back-to-back threes, followed by a Chappell layup and just like that the lead was eight with 13:43 to play. The lead ballooned to 10 by the 10:52-mark before Hopkins rallied with a 9-2 spurt, fueled by three-pointers from Kern and senior Harry O'Neil.

            The Captains quickly answered the Blue Jays with six straight points to push out to a 68-59 lead with 6:59 to play. O'Neil hit again from downtown to spark another 9-2 run as Hopkins trimmed the deficit to two at the 2:40-mark. Anderson made it a four-point game with a bucket in the paint, but back-to-back Delaney jumpers tied the game at 72 with 50 ticks on the clock. Beasley put the visitors back on top with his bucket in the paint with 30 seconds left, but it would be all Hopkins down the stretch.

What it Means

• Hopkins earns its first win over Christopher Newport, in just the second meeting between the two schools. The Blue Jays are now 5-6 against ranked teams under head coach Josh Loeffler. This is Hopkins' second win over a top-10 team in the last 12 months.   

Inside the Box Score

• Delaney led all scorers with 21 points while Quarry scored a career-best 19 points to go with five rebounds. Kern added 14 points and drew six fouls. Johnson also finished in double figures, chipping in 11 points. Nnake had a game and career-high six rebounds.

• Beasley led the Captains, who went to the NCAA Final Four last year, with 20 points. Cutch Ellis scored 19 points and had six rebounds. Aigner added 12 points and four assists, while Anderson finished with 11 points.

Up Next

• Hopkins returns to action on Tuesday, November 12 as the Blue Jays make the short trip to Goucher. Tip-off at the Decker Sports & Recreation Center Arena is slated for 7:00 pm.