Jan. 28, 2012

Box Score | Photo Gallery

BALTIMORE, MD - Muhlenberg used a 13-2 run midway through the second half to take control and went on to beat host Johns Hopkins 58-54 in the 11th annual Wall-O'Mahony Game. The Blue Jays drop their fifth straight as they fall to 10-9 overall and 6-6 in the Centennial Conference. The Mules win their second straight to up their record to 12-7 overall and pull even with the Blue Jays in the conference standings at 6-6.

Hopkins' Daniel Corbett and Muhlenberg's Kevin Hargrove were named the Wall-O'Mahony MVPs for the game that annually honors JHU men's basketball alumni Glen Wall and Matt O'Mahony. They were teammates and 1984 graduates of the University, who died in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Corbett drained a pair of three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to pull the Blue Jays even with the Mules at 14:48. Spencer Liddic and Malique Killing answered with consecutive layups before another triple from Corbett cut the visitors advantage to just one. Liddic came back with a three-point play capping a Muhlenberg possession that saw three offensive rebounds before Liddic cashed in with 11:34 to play. That ignited the 13-2 run that saw the Mules put some distance between themselves and the Jays. Killing fueled the run with six points.

The Blue Jays battled back with four straight threes from Jimmy Hammer, Corbett and George Bugarinovic to make it a two-point game with 34 seconds to play. Killing would nail a pair of free throws to push the lead to four and Hopkins was unable to convert on its final possession.

The first half was a see-saw affair that saw 10 lead changes and four ties and neither team could take more than a four-point lead as Muhlenberg took a 31-27 advantage into the break. Hunter Forsman put the Mules on top by two following a three-point play with 5:26 to go in the half. But a Tim McCarty bucket in the paint would tie the game again at 27 apiece. However that would be the Blue Jays final bucket of the half as a pair of Austin Curry free throws and a Hargrove layup put the Mules up four heading into the locker room.

Hargrove and Liddic sandwiched a pair of layups around an Adam Spengler bucket and Muhlenberg led 35-29 just over three minutes in. Corbett then lit it up from outside with his three straight triples as the Blue Jays tied it and then pulled within one with more than 12 minutes still to play. Muhlenberg's offense took over from there as the Mules took the win to split the season series.

Corbett earned MVP honors after punching up a career-high-tying 17 points and five three-pointers. He also grabbed three rebounds with one assist and one steal in 29 minutes. Bugarinovic finished with nine points and seven rebounds while also tying a career-high with three blocks. Killing led all scorers with 16 points with five rebounds. While Hargrove punched up 12 points and corralled seven boards with two assists, one block and one steal.

Hopkins returns to action on Wednesday, February 1 as the Blue Jays travel to the Battlefield to take on the Gettysburg Bullets. Tip is set for 8:00 pm at Bream Gymnasium.