Dec. 2, 2009

Box Score

GETTYSBURG, PA - The Gettysburg men's basketball team shot a scorching 80.0 percent from the field in the second half Wednesday en route to a 70-61 win over visiting Johns Hopkins. The loss drops the Blue Jays record 2-2, while the Bullets pick up their first win of the season to move to 1-3 in the Centennial Conference opener for both teams.

After 20 minutes of play, the teams were right back where they started at tip off - tied. Freshman Adam Spengler (Colts Neck, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) drained a three-pointer with 21 seconds left in the first half, to answer a three from Gettysburg's Kevin Kennedy to send the teams into the lockerroom all tied at 27 apiece.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with 12 lead changes and five ties. The second half was a different story. The Bullets came out firing to start the half, making three of their first four baskets and connecting on six free throws to take a 43-34 lead with 12:37 left. Hopkins cut the deficit back to five with a bucket from sophomore Danny Gergen (Austin, TX/Anderson) and a Mike Henrici (Wayne, PA/Conestoga) layup. But Gettysburg responded with an 11-2 run, fueled by five points from Andrew Bohan, to take a 54-40 lead.

Gettysburg pushed its lead to 16 with just under four minutes to play before Hopkins started chipping away. Senior Pat O'Connell (Baltimore, MD/Loyola Blakefield) hit a layup to ignite a 10-0 run as the Blue Jays trimmed the deficit to just six with 1:04 to play. O'Connell capped the run with one of his four three-pointers on the night. That would be as close as the Blue Jays could get as they made the Bullets earn the win at the free throw line. Gettysburg went five-of-six from the line in the final minute to hold off a Hopkins' comeback.

O'Connell led all scorers with a season-high 18 points and a team-high three assists. Senior Andrew Farber-Miller (Charlottesville, VA/St. Anne's-Belfield) was the only other Blue Jay in double figures with 15 points, as O'Connell and Farber-Miller combined for 20 of Hopkins' 34 second-half points. Spengler chipped in a career-high nine points for the Blue Jays. The Bullets had four players finish in double figures, led by Kennedy, Andrew Powers and Brendan Hager, who each chipped in 12 points.

Hopkins once again controlled the boards, outrebounding Gettysburg 32-22 for the game, including a dominating 21-7 in the first half. However, the Blue Jays were held to just 39.7 percent from the floor, while going to the free throw line just eight times. The Bullets shot 63.2 percent for the game, including 80.0 percent in the second, and went to the line 21 times.

Hopkins returns to action on Saturday, December 5 as the Blue Jays travel to Carlisle, PA to take on the Dickinson Red Devils. Game time at The Kline Center is slated for a 4:00 pm start.