The Basics

• Score: #15 Johns Hopkins-77, Gettysburg-71

• Records: JHU (14-2, 8-1 CC) • GC (10-6, 4-5 CC)

• Location: Gettysburg, PA • Bream Gym

How it Happened

            The 15th-ranked Johns Hopkins men's basketball team poured in 13 three-pointers and got a career-best 20 points from senior Harry O'Neil in a 77-71 win at Gettysburg Wednesday night.

            Gettysburg jumped out to a quick 8-3 lead, thanks to six straight points from Nick Antolini. Hopkins answered with back-to-back threes from O'Neil and junior Joey Kern to grab a 9-8 lead at the 15:34-mark. The lead was short-lived as a Nick Lord bucket swung the lead back to the Bullets.

            Kern followed with a pair of buckets from downtown and just like that the Blue Jays led 15-10, prompting a Bullet timeout. Gettysburg responded with a 13-3 run, fueled by three triples, as the home team took a 23-18 lead with 9:34 to play in the half. A Tom Quarry three-pointer sliced the deficit to two, but Avery Close answered with five straight points to push Gettysburg's lead to seven. Quarry hit two free throws, followed by a Braeden Johnson trey and it was a 28-26 game with 7:03 left.

            The teams swapped scores and Gettysburg led 32-30 but back-to-back buckets from O'Neil and junior Conner Delaney swung the lead to the Blue Jays' favor at the 3:45-mark. Lord responded with a bucket from downtown to put the Bullets up 35-34. Four straight points from Delaney and O'Neil swung the lead back to the Blue Jays with 1:01 on the clock. Lord drained another three for Gettysburg but a bucket in the paint by Delaney with 13 ticks to go sent Hopkins into the half with a 39-38 lead.

            Gettysburg came out hot to start the second half and used a 10-3 run to grab a 48-42 lead just four minutes in. Hopkins answered with a 14-4 run and led 56-52 after a Kern steal and score. The teams traded buckets over the ensuing three minutes and it was a three-point game. Five straight points from sophomore Ethan Bartlett, sandwiched around an Alex Leder free throw, gave the Blue Jays a 66-59 lead with 5:05 to play.

            The Bullets sliced the deficit to one with back-to-back threes from Antolini and Close, but Delaney answered with a three as the shot clock expired to push it back to four. Elijah Williams converted two shots from the charity stripe to make it a one-possession game, but another Delaney bucket and a pair of Johnson free throws pushed the lead to six with 1:36 on the clock. The Blue Jays were able to seal the win with four free throws from Kern and Johnson in the final 32 seconds.

What it Means

• Hopkins improves to 42-52 all-time against Gettysburg and has won seven straight in the series. This is just the 15th win for the Blue Jays in Gettysburg since 1949.

• JHU remains in second place in the Centennial Conference standings, one back of top-ranked Swarthmore.

Inside the Box Score

• O'Neil led the Blue Jays with his first career double-double, finishing with a career-best 20 points and 11 rebounds.

• Delaney added 16 points and five assists, while Kern had 13 points, a career-high eight rebounds and career-high six assists. Johnson chipped in 12 points and two blocks. Delaney now has 237 career assists and moved into ninth place in school history.

• Close paced the Bullets with 0 points and seven boards, while Antolini punched up 16 and Lord finished with 10.  

Up Next

• Hopkins is back on the road on Saturday, Jan. 25 as the Blue Jays visit the Haverford Fords. Tip-off at Gooding Arena is slated for 3:00 pm.