Feb. 8, 2012

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - Freshman George Bugarinovic scored a game-high 18 points to pace Johns Hopkins in a 52-48 win over visiting McDaniel Wednesday night in Centennial Conference action. The Blue Jays keep their playoff hopes alive with three games to go as they improve to 13-9 overall and 9-6 in conference play. The Green Terror fall to 7-15 on the season and 4-11 in the Centennial.

Hopkins took a 10-point lead with 2:51 to play in the game following a 9-1 run capped by a pair of free throws from sophomore Daniel Corbett. Bugarinovic fueled the run with seven straight points before Corbett hit his two from the line. McDaniel wasn't done yet however, answering with a 9-2 spurt to cut the deficit to three with just 30 ticks on the clock. Evan Pupelis book-ended the run with a three-point play and a bucket in the paint to make it a 49-46 game. Junior Adam Spengler drained two free throws on the ensuing possession but just nine seconds later Pupelis converted his seventh bucket of the night and was fouled. He missed the free throw though and Bugarinovic corralled the rebound and was promptly fouled. He hit one of two from the line to push the lead to four and Phillip Perry was only able to get off desperation three as time expired.

Both teams struggled out of the gate offensively as they were tied at two points apiece with more than eight minutes gone in the opening half. Junior Mike Rhoads broke the stalemate with a bucket in the paint at 11:38 and the teams traded baskets for the next three minutes. McDaniel took the lead with 7:21 to play on back-to-back Louis Sarris-Grau layups. Pupelis followed with a back of buckets and the Green Terror led 15-10. Corbett answered with a jumper followed by a three-pointer from freshman Jimmy Hammer to ignite an 11-0 run as the Blue Jays turned a five-point deficit into a six-point lead with 2:04 on the clock. Hopkins would go into the break with a 23-17 lead.

Tyler Rudd hit a triple for the Green Terror, their only one of the game, to open the second-half scoring. But back-to-back layups from Bugarinovic and Spengler gave the Jays a 27-20 lead. Five straight points from Pupelis cut the deficit back to two, but Hopkins once again built it back to seven. McDaniel once again battled back, fueled by five points from Woody Butler, to make it a 38-36 game with 5:56 on the clock. The Blue Jays put some more distance between themselves and the Terror with that 9-1 spurt to take a 47-37 lead with under three minutes to play.

Bugarinovic posted his third double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds. He was 7-of-12 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the line with one block and one steal. Junior Alex Pandrangi chipped in eight points, while Corbett and Spengler had seven apiece. Sophomore Connor McIntyre finished with a career-high-tying four blocks on the night as the Blue Jays finished with a total of six swats on the night. Pupelis also put up a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds, including seven offensive. Sarris-Grau and Butler each chipped in 10 points.

Hopkins returns to action on Saturday, February 11 against Ursinus with tip set for 3:00 pm. The Blue Jays will honor their two seniors, Danny Gergen and Tim McCarty, prior to the game.