Feb. 1, 2003

Box Score

Collegeville, PA - Ursinus senior Dan Luciano scored 27 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the Bears over No. 18 Johns Hopkins, 79-63, in Centennial Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Hellferich Hall.

The Bears, the only unbeaten team in the league, improved to 12-6 overall and 7-0 in the conference. Hopkins, which had won five straight in Collegeville, lost its second consecutive game to fall to 13-5 overall and 4-3 in league play.

Ursinus used an early 12-3 run to turn an 8-6 lead into a 20-9 advantage with 10:30 remaining in the first half, but the Blue Jays responded to cut the lead to seven late in the half on a jumper by senior forward Steve Adams (Butler, PA/Butler), who finished with team-highs of 21 points and eight rebounds. Bears senior Steve Erfle ended the first-half scoring with a lay-up to give Ursinus a 35-26 lead at the break.

The Blue Jays twice cut the lead to eight early in the second half on three-pointers by senior guard Brendan Kamm (Avon, NJ/Somerville) and sophomore forward Eric Toback (Ellicott City, MD/Mount Hebron), but following Toback's three the Bears went on a 12-4 run to take a 55-39 advantage at the 13:03 mark.

Hopkins cut the deficit to nine at 68-59 on a lay-up by Toback with 2:41 remaining, but could get no closer.

Ursinus junior Dennis Stanton scored 22 points, while Erfle added 12 points, four assists, and two blocks. Toback recorded 10 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals in a losing effort, senior center Mike Blaine (Washington, DC/Bishop Ireton) registered 11 points and three blocks, and Kamm chipped in 10 points for JHU.

The Bears shot 50 percent from the field and held a 41-31 rebounding advantage, while Hopkins shot 36.1 percent and hit only six of its 24 three-point attempts.

The Blue Jays will look to get back in the win column Wednesday when they host Gettysburg at 7 p.m.

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