Nov. 19, 2010

Box Score

OWINGS MILLS, MD - Johns Hopkins got 12 points and eight rebounds from freshman forward Matt Kelly in a 57-50 win over Goucher Friday afternoon in the consolation semifinals of the Pride of Maryland Championship. The Blue Jays earn their first win of the season to move to 1-1, while the Gophers fall to 0-2.

A steal by Goucher's Emanuel Wood led to a pair of free throws from Jason Jones and kick-started a 12-4 run that saw the Gophers make it a two-point game with 1:22 to play. An offensive rebound by sophomore Adam Spengler kept alive a prolonged Blue Jays' possession that chipped 58 seconds off the clock by the time sophomore Mike Rhoads sank a pair of free throws to make it 51-48. Shane Yambor missed on a shot from downtown on Goucher's next possession and senior Mike Henrici was fouled on the rebound, sending him to the line. Hopkins would go 5-of-6 from the line over the final 15 seconds to seal the win.

Trailing by one after a Steve Musenga Biakapia layup with 5:14 to play in the first half, freshman Aleksandar Nikolic and junior Tim McCarty each went 1-of-2 from the line to push the Blue Jays back on top by one with 4:04 on the clock. Spengler pushed the lead to three with a jumper off a Dylan Chaney turnover and the Blue Jays didn't look back. Nikolic's free throw ignited a 12-0 Hopkins' run that saw the Blue Jays lead 28-17 with 1:23 to play. Goucher trimmed the deficit to seven at the half thanks to a Jason Jones jumper a pair of Dorian Green free throws.

The Gophers made it a four-point game just 58 seconds into the second, but the Blue Jays responded with an 8-2 run fueled by four points from Henrici to take a 38-28 lead. Hopkins kept Goucher at bay for most of the second, leading by as many as 10 and not seeing its lead dip below five until late. Hopkins led 46-36 with 6:49 to play after five straight points from Kelly, including an old-fashioned three-point play before Goucher put together one last rally, started by Wood's steal.

Kelly led three Blue Jays in double figures with a career-high 12 points and eight boards. Spengler finished with 11 points and a career-high three assists while Henrici had 10 points and seven boards. For the Gophers, Trae Lindsay had a game-high 14 points and nine boards before fouling out.

Hopkins shot just 34.0 percent from the field, but held Goucher to just 28.1 percent shooting. The Gophers shot slightly better from the free throw line at a 63.6 percent clip, but the Blue Jays converted more free throws (23) than the Gophers attempted (22). Hopkins and Goucher met for just the second time in the six-year history of the tournament and the 14th time overall as the Blue Jays improve to 8-6 against the Gophers.

Hopkins will face Centennial Conference rival McDaniel on Saturday in the fifth place match of the Pride of Maryland Championship. Tip off is slated for 4:15 pm at Owings Mills Gymnasium on the campus of Stevenson University.