Dec. 2, 2006

Box Score

ALLENTOWN, PA - The #23 Johns Hopkins men's basketball team used one of its patented second half runs to take a 62-56 win over Muhlenberg Saturday afternoon in Centennial Conference action. The win moves the Blue Jays to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the conference. The Mules fall to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the conference. Senior Matt Griffin (Glenn Mills, PA/Penncrest) led Hopkins with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

The Mules took an early 4-0 lead over the Blue Jays before Griffin took control, scoring eight unanswered points while grabbing four rebounds and blocking two Muhlenberg shots. Hopkins held the lead until a Chris Pothering three-pointer tied the game at 12-12 midway through the half. The Mules took the lead at 9:37 on a jumper by Greg Pask. Muhlenberg maintained the lead, stretching it to as much as seven, to head into the locker room at halftime with a 29-25 lead.

For the fourth time in the last five games, Hopkins found itself trailing at half time. But once again, the Blue Jays regrouped in the locker room and took control in the second half. After shooting just 31.0 percent from the floor, Hopkins connected on 58.3 percent of its shots in the second. The Blue Jays opened the half on a 10-2 run, with baskets from sophomore Phil Beggans (Ocean, NJ/Ocean Township), Griffin, sophomore Collin Kamm (Avon, NJ/Saint Rose) and Doug Polster (Bernardsville, NJ/Bernards).

A Pask three-pointer briefly gave the Mules the lead at 40-39 with 10:15 to play, but Hopkins answered with a three-pointer from junior Kevin Roach (Derwood, MD/Colonel Zadok Magruder). That ignited a 14-3 Hopkins run as the Blue Jays pushed their lead to 53-43. That run would prove to be too much for Muhlenberg as the Mules never got closer than six points.

Polster finished with 13 points on the afternoon after shooting 4-of-6 from downtown. Kamm also finished in double figures, with 10 points, while going 3-of-3 from the floor in the second half. Senior Danny Nawrocki (Syosset, NY/Chaminade) finished with 10 rebounds, giving him 703 for his career. Nawrocki is one of just three players in Hopkins history with more than 700 rebounds. Pask led Muhlenberg with a game-high 16 points. Pothering (12 points), Tom Scott (10 points) and Chris Huber (10 points) all scored in double figures for the Mules. Pothering and Pask combined for seven three-pointers, including five in the second half.

Hopkins is off to its best start since the 1991-92 team that won its first 11 games. Next up for the Blue Jays is another road trip as they travel to Westminster to face the McDaniel Green Terror on December 6. Game time is set for 7:00 pm at the Gill Athletic Center.