Box Score Feb. 6, 2016 Box Score
ALLENTOWN, PA – Host Muhlenberg went 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the final 17 seconds to hold off the Johns Hopkins men's basketball team, 58-53, on Saturday afternoon in Centennial Conference action. The Blue Jays fall to 10-10 overall and 7-6 in the conference, while the Mules improve to 8-11 on the season and 5-8 in the CC. Senior
Sam Gordon posted his fourth double-double of the season while junior
Ryan Curran punched up a game-high 17 points.
Senior Gene Williams drained a three with 23 ticks on the clock to pull the Blue Jays within one. Jon Schreer pushed the lead back to three six seconds later with a pair of free throws. But just nine seconds later, Curran hit a pair of his own and Muhlenberg's lead was back to one, 54-53. The Mules went back to the line on the ensuing possession and Nick Rindock was true on both of his shots. The Blue Jays couldn't convert on the other end and Alec Stavetski pushed the lead to five with two free throws with one second to play.
Hopkins pushed out to a six-point lead, 8-2, by the 13:18-mark but Muhlenberg answered with an 11-2 run. Schreer capped the run with a bucket from downtown at 8:53 to put the Mules up 13-10. The teams went back-and-forth over the subsequent four minutes and it was a 17-17 game with 4:38 to go in the half. Schreer put Muhlenberg back on top with a three, sparking a 9-2 burst as the home team took a 26-9 lead just over two minutes later. Hopkins pulled within three with a Matt Billups bucket and a pair of free throws from sophomore Kyle Doran. But three shots from the charity stripe gave Muhlenberg a 29-23 lead at the break.
JHU opened the half with a 16-2 run, fueled by Curran (eight points) and Gordon (seven points), and led 39-31 at the 13:45-mark. Muhlenberg chipped away at the deficit, making it a two-point game on a Nick Melosky layup at 11:35. The lead seesawed up and down as the teams traded buckets until five unanswered points from Owen McLeod gave Muhlenberg a 48-46 lead with 4:26 to play. Curran answered for the Blue Jays with a basket in the paint to tie the game. But Rindock put the Mules back on top and as it turned out, they would not trail again.
Curran went 7-of-12 from the field to finish with a game-high 17 points. Gordon put up 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Billups also scored 10 points and blocked three shots. Sophomore Jesse Flannery handed out a game-high six assists and grabbed three steals. Schreer paced the Mules with 12 points and five steals. McLeod and Stavetski each chipped in 10 points while Rindock had a game-high six boards.
Hopkins returns to action on Wednesday, February 10 as the Blue Jays travel to Westminster, MD to take on the McDaniel Green Terror. Tip-off at the Gill Center is slated for 8:00 pm.
