Jan. 13, 2007

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - The #19 Johns Hopkins men's basketball team defeated Muhlenberg 78-58 Saturday in Centennial Conference action at Goldfarb Gym. The Blue Jays improved to 13-2 overall and 7-1 in conference play. The Mules fell to 5-9 overall and 4-4 in the conference. With 10 points, senior Danny Nawrocki (Syosset, NY/Chaminade) became just the seventh player in Hopkins history to reach 1,200 career points.

The game was close early, but Hopkins quickly pulled away. A three-pointer by Muhlenberg's Brandon Mefford tied the game at 8-8 at 16:28. Nawrocki answered with a lay-up, igniting a 13-3 run by the Blue Jays. Senior Chris Morley (North Salem, NY/North Salem) capped the run with a lay-up. The Mules reeled off five unanswered to cut the score to 23-16 with 10:08 to play. But that's as close as the visitors would get for the remainder of the game.

Hopkins went on a 21-2 run to close out the half, going into the locker room with a 44-18 lead. A free throw by freshman Patrick O'Connell (Baltimore, MD/Loyola Blakefield) and a three-pointer by senior T.J. Valerio (Blue Bell, PA/St. Joseph's Prep) and the Blue Jays were off and running. Hopkins' offense continued to click at the start of the second as the Blue Jays pushed their lead to as much as 37 points with 10:15 to play. The Mules continued to battle for the rest of the game, closing it to a 20-point game at the end.

The Blue Jays shot 72.7 percent from the floor in the first half and finished at 54.7 percent for the game. For the third consecutive game, senior Matt Griffin (Glen Mills, PA/Penncrest) led the Blue Jays in scoring, finishing with 15 points. Griffin shot 4-of-6 from the floor and 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Nawrocki finished with 10, adding 11 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. Nawrocki's 10 points gives him 1,202 for his career. Also finishing in double-digits was junior Doug Polster (Bernardsville, NJ/Bernards) with 10 points. Ryan Foster led the Mules with 14 points.

Hopkins returns to action on Wednesday, January 17 at Franklin & Marshall. Tip-off for the Centennial Conference match-up is set for 7:30 pm.