GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Gettysburg College forced No. 12 Johns Hopkins University into one of its worst shooting performances of the season and remained within striking distance for the majority of the Centennial Conference men's basketball match up inside Bream Gym, but the Blue Jays converted timely buckets and free throws down the stretch to push past the Bullets for a 67-57 decision on Thursday night.

Gettysburg's Top Performers

• Avery Close '22 (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville): 23 points, 9-16 FG
• Carl Schaller '25 (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists
• Akim Joseph '25 (Port-au-Prince, Haiti/Notre Dame Fairfield): 9 points

Johns Hopkins' Top Performers

• Carson James: 24 points, 6 rebounds, 9-15 FG, 4-6 3FG
• Conner Delany: 16 points, 4 assists, 3 steals
• Sidney Thybulle: 9 points, 10 rebounds

Game Summary - First Half

• After hitting 13 three-pointers in the teams' first meeting earlier this season, Johns Hopkins went right back to the well with back-to-back threes by James and another deep shot by Delaney leading to a 9-3 advantage.
• Close and Schaller accounted for Gettysburg's first 16 points. The senior opened the game with a pair of three-pointers and the first-year guard converted the hoop and the harm to cut the deficit to 13-9 at 14:34. After another jump shot by Schaller, Close hit his third trey of the game to put the hosts ahead 14-13 at 13:14.
• The Blue Jays recovered and surged in front by six points on two occasions, but each time the Bullets answered. In the second instance, junior Elijah Williams (Washington, D.C./Sidwell Friends) stroked a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 26-23.
• Just before the halftime buzzer, Delaney stepped back from several feet behind the three-point line and swished a three-pointer to give Johns Hopkins a 36-31 lead.

Game Summary - Second Half

• Johns Hopkins started to pull away as Gettysburg managed just one field goal through nearly eight minutes to start the final stanza. The margin grew to 10 (46-36) on a putback by Thybulle with 11:19 to play.
• The Bullets refused to bow to the nationally-ranked Blue Jays, slicing the margin in half over the next three minutes and eventually pulling to within four (51-47) on a pair of free throws by Close with less than eight minutes to go. A lay-up by Tom Quarry and another three-pointer by James pushed Johns Hopkins back in front by nine (56-47).
• The game's final two minutes turned into a battle at the charity stripe. The two teams combined for 19 free throws over the final 120 seconds, with Gettysburg going 4-of-8 and Johns Hopkins hitting 7-of-11. Delaney provided the final bit of offense with a pair of made free throws with 43 seconds left.

By the Numbers

• Gettysburg held Johns Hopkins to its second-worst shooting percentage of the season at 40.4 percent. The Blue Jays converted just 39.1 percent of their attempts against McDaniel on Jan. 13. The Bullets also held the Blue Jays to their second-lowest point total of the year. Christopher Newport held Johns Hopkins to 64 points in the season opener.
• Close finished 9-of-16 from the floor and scored 20 or more points for the fourth time this season and the second time in the last three outings. Over his last four games, the senior has averaged 21.3 points per game, while shooting 57.9 percent from the field.
• Schaller snagged a season-high eight boards and posted double-figure points for the 10th time this season.
• With Swarthmore College's loss to Muhlenberg College, Johns Hopkins took over sole possession of first place in the Centennial Conference standings. The Bullets dropped behind Ursinus College into fourth place.  

Where the Series Stands

Johns Hopkins picked up its 10th-straight win over Gettysburg. The Bullets remain ahead in the all-time series 52-44.

Next Up

Gettysburg hosts Muhlenberg (6-11, 3-7 CC) this Saturday, Jan. 29, at 3 p.m.