Box Score The Basics
• Scores: #2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps-14, #5 Johns Hopkins-11
• Records: JHU (11-22) • CMS (18-11)
• Location: Slade Aquatic Center • Whittier, CA
• The Short Story: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps used a strong second-half to defeat the Johns Hopkins water polo team, 14-11, in the second semifinal of the inaugural USA Water Polo Division III National Collegiate Championship Saturday night.
 
How it Happened
• Sophomore Emerson Sullivan opened the scoring 90 seconds in, but CJ Box answered for Stags at the 3:52-mark. Junior Olin Shipstead put the Blue Jays back on top less than a minute later. Zach Rossman converted a man-up goal to tie the game at 1:07, but sophomore Jayden Kunwar scored one of his own to stake Hopkins to a 3-2 lead after one.
• Koss Klobucher knotted the score at three just 45 seconds into the second and Rossman followed with a five-meter goal to put Claremont-Mudd-Scripps up 4-3. Juniors John Murphy and Stephen Schmidt scored a pair of goals in a 59-second span to grab the lead back for Hopkins with 1:30 to go in the half. The lead was short-lived however as Christian Thornton scored just 28 seconds later to make it a 5-5 game at the break.
• Junior Jake Pearson scored as the shot clock expired to put the Blue Jays up 6-5 early in the third. Ethan Lewis responded just 16 seconds later to spark a 4-1 run as the Stags took a 9-7 lead with 1:35 to play in the quarter. Schmidt banged one in off the post to pull Hopkins back within one but a Nick Britt man-up goal gave CMS a 10-8 lead after three.
• Sullivan scored from close range just 46 seconds into the fourth to trim the deficit to one. Claremont responded with back-to-back goals in less than a minute to push its lead to 12-9. Shipstead made it a two-goal game with 3:45 to play, but the Blue Jays could get no closer. The Stags sandwiched two goals around a strike from Sullivan in the final three minutes to punch their ticket to the final.   
 
What it Means
• Hopkins falls to 7-8 all-time against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps as the teams split the season series (1-1).
 
Inside the Box Score
• Sullivan led the Blue Jays with three goals, while Shipstead had a team-best four points (2g, 2a) and two ejections drawn.
• Kunwar added two goals and an assist to go with two ejections drawn and a steal. Pearson chipped in three points (1g, 2a) and a steal.
• Senior Finn Banks handed out two assists to tie the school single-season record of 68, held by Langdon Froomer. Junior Max Fleming finished with 11 saves, his eighth double-digit save performance of the season.
 
Up Next
• Hopkins will take on seventh-ranked MIT in the third-place match on Sunday, December 8. The match is slated for a 10:30 am PST start at the Slade Aquatic Center.