Box Score

The Basics
• Score: Muhlenberg-67, Johns Hopkins-65
• Records: JHU (2-4, 1-2 CC) • MC (4-2, 1-2 CC)
• Location: Allentown, PA • Memorial Hall
• The Short Story: The Johns Hopkins men's basketball team got a career-high 16 points from sophomore Michael Gardner in a tough 67-65 loss at Muhlenberg Saturday afternoon.

How it Happened
• This one was close from the opening tip as the first 12 minutes saw six lead changes, five ties and neither team led by more than four points.
• Trailing 19-18 after a JeanLee Baez layup at 9:50, senior Nikhil Panu and junior Jesse Flannery drained back-to-back threes to put Hopkins up by five just over two minutes later. Erik Werheim answered with a jumper to cut the deficit to three and the teams traded buckets over the ensuing four minutes.
• Leading 28-26 with 3:26 to play, senior Max McKee hit a jumper to spark a quick 6-0 spurt that saw the Blue Jays' lead grow to eight. Alex Mitton converted four straight free throws for the Mules in the final 83 seconds to make it a 34-30 game heading into the half.
• Senior Ryan Curran and graduate student Sam Gordon sandwiched buckets around a Kevin Miller layup to open the half and Hopkins led 38-32. Jon Schreer connected a three-pointer at the 17:15-mark to ignite an 8-2 run that tied the game. Nick Rindock capped the run with a three of his own with 15:06 to play to make it 40-all.
• Hopkins retook the lead on a pair of Gordon free throws, but Owen McLeod answered with a jumper on the other end. Gardner put the Blue Jays back on top with 14:07 to play with a triple, one of his four on the day. John Hunter book-ended a 7-2 Mules' run that saw the home team take a 49-47 lead with 10:23 on the clock.
• Another Gardner three gave Hopkins back the lead, but Schreer matched him on the ensuing possession and it was 52-50 Muhlenberg. Sophomore Daniel Vila knotted the score with a basket in the paint that sparked a 7-2 run that gave Hopkins a 57-54 lead.
• After a two-minute scoring drought for both teams, a Werheim dunk at the 5:30-mark ignited an 8-0 Mules' run that put the home team on top 62-57. The Blue Jays weren't going away however, they battled back and tied the game with 54 ticks on the clock with a Gardner jumper. Schreer responded with a three-pointer to put his team back on top with 31 seconds remaining. The Blue Jays were forced to foul and the Mules twice missed the front-end of a one-and-one. Hopkins was unable to capitalize on the misses, getting just one free throw from Curran to account for the 67-65 final.

What it Means
• Johns Hopkins is now 40-18 against Muhlenberg, including 22-9 at Memorial Hall. The Mules have won the last two meetings in Allentown.

Inside the Box Score
• Three Blue Jays finished in double figures, led by Gardner's career-high 16 points. He also made a career-best four three-pointers and went 6-of-9 from the field on the day. Junior Kyle Doran finished with 11 points and Gordon added 10.
• Curran chipped in nine points and a team-best eight rebounds. Graduate student Austin Vasiliadis handed out a game and season-high seven assists.
• Werheim led the Mules with 16 points, going 7-of-11 from the field, and three steals. Schreer added 11 points, with nine of those coming from downtown. Rindock just missed a double-double with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Up Next
• Johns Hopkins returns to Goldfarb Gym on Wednesday, December 7 to take on Franklin & Marshall. Tip-off is slated for 8:00 pm in the Blue Jays' final game before the holidays.