Box Score Dec. 1, 2015 Box Score
BALTIMORE, MD – The Johns Hopkins men's basketball team almost rallied from an eight-point deficit in the final 61 seconds, but visiting McDaniel was able to hold on for a 54-52 win Tuesday night in Centennial Conference action. The Blue Jays fall to 1-4 on the season and 0-2 in conference play, while the Green Terror move to 4-1 and 2-0.
Wes Brooks drove the paint and scored from close range with 1:01 to play to stake McDaniel to 51-43 lead. Just 10 seconds later, senior Austin Vasiliadis drained a three-pointer to cut the deficit to five. The Blue Jays were forced to foul and on three successive trips to the free throw line, the Green Terror came up empty. Hopkins was able to capitalize on the other end, with a free throw and then a pull-up jumper from senior Sam Gordon to pull within two with 14.4 to play.
Hopkins fouled once again, sending Cameron Royster to the line and he made both his shots to double the lead. Vasiliadis missed on a shot from downtown on the ensuing possession, but a pair of free throws from Kevin Yrizzary missed the mark. Vasiliadis then hit a 23-footer to slice the deficit to one with 1.5 seconds on the clock. Duane Echols was fouled on the inbounds, making one of two shots, and that would be it as Hopkins was unable to get a shot off.
With the game knotted at two early, a Vasiliadis bucket sparked a 7-2 spurt that saw Hopkins push out to an 11-4 lead at the 15:35-mark. Echols hit a fast-break layup to cut the deficit to five but senior Gene Williams book-ended another 7-2 run with a pair of three-pointers. Stewart answered with five straight points for the Green Terror, igniting an 11-0 run that saw the visitors take a 19-18 lead with 3:03 to play in the half. Junior Max McKee ended the run with a 15-footer that hit nothing but net and put the Blue Jays back on top. The teams traded buckets in the final two and a half minutes and Hopkins took a 22-21 lead into the half.
Stewart got the first basket of the second to put McDaniel on top, but back-to-back layups by senior Niko Kotoulas sparked another 7-2 run by the Blue Jays that gave them a 29-25 lead. Brooks trimmed the deficit to one with a bucket from downtown and Stewart then put the Green Terror on top with a tough basket in the paint at 11:43. Freshman Daniel Vila swung the lead back in Hopkins favor with a jumper on the other end. But Brooks answered for McDaniel giving them the lead for good at the 10:46-mark. Austin Cannon followed with two straight buckets and the Terror led 36-31.
Hopkins chipped away at the deficit with a pair of free throws from sophomore Kyle Doran and layups from Vila and Kotoulas to make it 38-37 McDaniel with 7:32 to play. The Green Terror responded with a 7-0 spurt to push out to an eight-point lead just over two minutes later. A Matt Billups jumper with 3:45 on the clock, made it a six-point game, but back-to-back buckets from Royster and Stewart pushed the lead to double digits.
Vasiliadis led Hopkins with 14 points, five assists and a career-high-tying six steals. Doran also finished in double figures, chipping in 10 points. Stewart led all scorers with 19 points while also controlling a game-high 12 rebounds. Brooks added 12 points, while Yrizzary grabbed eight boards for the Terror.
Hopkins closes out the fall semester on Saturday as the Blue Jays travel to Collegeville, PA to take on the Ursinus Bears. Tip-off at Helfferich Hall is set for 3:00 pm.
