Nov. 17, 2007

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - Richard Stockton rallied from a double-digit deficit late in the second half to defeat host Johns Hopkins 78-74 in overtime in the championship game of the 17th annual Blue Jay Invitational. Sophomore Pat O'Connell (Baltimore, MD/Loyola Blakefield) led the Blue Jays (1-1) with a career-high 19 points. Tournament MVP Jerome Hubbard had a game-high 25 points to lead the Ospreys (2-0).

The first half was a back-and-forth affair with seven ties and five lead changes. The Blue Jays trailed by five with just over four minutes to play when a free throw by sophomore Collin Kamm (Avon, NJ/Saint Rose) trimmed the score to 25-21. Senior Kevin Roach (Derwood, MD/Magruder) then grabbed the rebound off a missed jumper by Mario Lancioni and senior Doug Polster (Bernardsville, NJ/Bernards) drained a three. Hopkins trailed 25-24 with 2:31 to play. After missed baskets by both teams, sophomore Adam Baumgartner (Reston, VA/Bishop O'Connell) hit a free throw to knot the score. Roach then grabbed another defensive board and O'Connell hit a running jumper in the lane as time expired to give Hopkins a 27-25 lead heading in the half.

Coming out of the break, Polster sandwiched a pair of threes around a trey by O'Connell and the Blue Jays led 39-26 at 16:31. A pair of lay-ups and a free throw from Jon Greene trimmed Hopkins lead to 39-31. Hopkins answered with a bucket from O'Connell and a free throw from sophomore Andrew Farber-Miller (Charlottesville, VA/St. Anne's-Belfield) and the lead was nine with 14:14 to play.

The Ospreys began to chip away at the deficit, cutting it to five before the Blue Jays would answer. Hopkins built its lead back to 11 points with just over five to play on baskets from junior Phil Beggans (Ocean, NJ/Ocean Township) and O'Connell. A three by Hubbard with 5:00 on the clock ignited the Ospreys' comeback. Clutch free throw shooting and a trey from Hubbard made it just a three point game with 1:16 to play. Polster hit a pair of free throws to push the lead back to five, but Santini Lancioni answered with a bucket from downtown, making it a 64-62 game with just 44 seconds to play.

On the ensuing Hopkins possession, Baumgartner turned the ball over but Kamm got the ball right back, picking Lancioni's pocket and drawing the foul. Kamm hit one of two free throws and Hopkins led 65-62 with just 15 seconds to play. The Ospreys' got the ball to Hubbard who drained a three to force overtime. In the overtime, Hubbard forced a turnover off Hopkins opening possession and converted a lay-up to give the Ospreys the lead for good. They would lead by as much as seven and earned the win with timely free throw shooting.

O'Connell led three Blue Jays in double figures. Polster hit for 14 while Baumgartner had a career-high 10 points. Baumgartner just missed the double-double, finishing with a team and career-high nine boards. Joining Hubbard in double figures for Stockton were Greene (18) and Lancioni (12). For Hopkins, O'Connell and Polster were named to the all-tournament team, along with Greene. In the consolation game earlier in the day, Carnegie Mellon defeated City Tech 89-75. CMU's Greg Gonzalez and City Tech's Jamall Hall were also named to the all-tournament team.

Hopkins returns to action on Tuesday, November 20 in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Provident Pride of Maryland Tournament. The Blue Jays look to defend their title on the road against the Hood Blazers. Game time at Governor Thomas Johnson High School in Frederick, MD is set for 7:00 pm. Hopkins will then host the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday at Goldfarb Gym.