The Basics
• Score: Stevens-72, #13 Johns Hopkins-65
• Records: JHU (9-2), SIT (9-1)
• Location: Hoboken, NJ • Canavan Arena
How it Happened
The 13th-ranked Johns Hopkins men's basketball team got a combined 47 points from Harry O'Neil, Conner Delaney and Tom Quarry but fell to host Stevens, 72-65, in the Ducks' Holiday Tournament championship game Monday afternoon.
Trailing by one early, sophomore Chid Nnake scored from under the basket to spark a quick 8-2 run that saw the Blue Jays take a 15-10 lead. The Ducks answered with an 18-4 spurt to go up 28-19 with 5:19 to play in the half. Five different players scored during the spurt, which was capped by a put-back by Alec DiPietrantonio. The teams swapped scores over the final five minutes and Stevens took a 37-30 lead into the half.
A Kevin Florio three and a Spencer Cook fast-break layup pushed the Ducks' lead to 12 just 70 seconds into the second half. The Blue Jays answered with nine straight points to slice the deficit to three with 16:15 to play. DiPietrantonio ended the run with a bucket in the paint, but four straight points from O'Neil and Delaney made it a one-point game.
Dylan Walsh responded with a three-pointer, followed by a Cook jumper, and just like that the lead was back to six. Hopkins and Stevens traded scores over the ensuing four minutes and the Ducks led 56-50 at the 7:23-mark. Cook drained a jumper to ignite a 9-0 run that saw the Ducks push their lead to 13 less than three minutes later.
The Blue Jays answered with nine unanswered points of their own, trimming the deficit to four with 2:16 to play. That's as close as Hopkins could get however as Stevens would go 7-of-10 from the free throw line in the final 97 seconds to hold on for the win.
What it Means
• Today's game was the first-ever meeting between the Blue Jays and the Ducks.
Inside the Box Score
• O'Neil went 6-of-11 from the field to finish with a season-best 16 points. He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Delaney added 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and five steals to earn All-Tournament Team honors. He is now tied for 18th in school history with 208 career assists. Quarry finished with 15 points to go with five rebounds.
• Cook and DiPietrantonio scored 16 points each, while Walsh and Florio each scored 14 points. Walsh (14 rebounds), Florio (10) and DiPietrantonio (11) all had double-doubles as the Ducks outrebounded the Blue Jays 50-32.
Up Next
• Hopkins is back in action on Thursday, January 9 as the Blue Jays host the Dickinson Red Devils. Tip-off for the Centennial Conference contest is slated for 8:00 pm.