Blue Jays Nip Garnet
BALTIMORE, Md.--The visiting Garnet hung tough with host Johns Hopkins, but fell short in the end, 52-44. Ian McCormick '08 powered the Swarthmore attack with 21 points on 10-14 shooting.
The Blue Jays (15-4, 11-2 CC) couldn't buy a bucket in the early going, hitting only one of their first nine shots from the field as the Garnet (4-16, 3-10 CC) built a 10-2 lead six minutes into the game. Swarthmore converted four layups during the run but, as would continue through the entire game, struggled to make shots from outside the paint.
After a pair of Bobby Sharafeddin free throws closed the margin to six, Blue Jay forward Danny Nawrocki swung the momentum further to his side by converting an old-fashioned three-point play. This sparked a 15-0 run for the hosts as the Garnet went 6:36 between points before a McCormick free throw stopped the bleeding. Swarthmore rallied to tie the score at 19 with just under three minutes to play when Matt Kurman '08 fed McCormick for a layup. Sharafeddin nailed a trey on the ensuing Hopkins possession, though, and the Blue Jays entered the locker room with a 26-21 lead.
Swarthmore shot just 31% (9-29) in the first half. McCormick led the team with 9 points.
The second half brought more of the same for the Garnet: McCormick was unstoppable, but the rest of the offense was sputtering. Johns Hopkins got off to a fast start to go up eight, but could not open up a double-digit lead, and the Garnet again crept back. A Dillon McGrew '07 three-pointer cut the lead to three at 33-30 with 13:05 to play. But Matt Griffin converted another momentum-shifting three-point play and the Blue Jays were soon back up by nine.
A Noam Fliegelman '08 jumper brought the Garnet back within four at 45-41 with 4:12 to play, but this proved to be the last field goal for the visitors until a meaningless McGrew trey with 12 seconds to play. Hopkins made four foul shots in the final minute to secure the victory.
McCormick finished with 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. The rest of the Garnet shot just 20.5% (8-39) from the field. Swarthmore also committed 18 turnovers. McGrew and Fliegelman scored six points each and Jon Tundel '09 grabbed nine rebounds.
Griffin led the Blue Jays with 19 points while Nawrocki added 14 points and 9 rebounds.
Swarthmore concludes its three-game road swing on Saturday in Westminster, MD, facing McDaniel College at 3:00 p.m.