Garnet Narrowly Miss Upset of #20 Johns Hopkins
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Swarthmore got 20 points from junior Ian McCormick and a double-double from Steve Wolf '08 as the Garnet just missed pulling a huge upset over visiting Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays (18-2, 12-1 CC), ranked 20th in all of Division III, overcame a 13-point second half deficit to win 63-59 on Wednesday night in Tarble Pavilion.
Johns Hopkins senior forward Matt Griffin led all scorers with 21 points, shooting 7 of 7 from the free throw line, while T.J. Valerio added 10 points.
The Garnet got the jump on the Blue Jays in the first half, taking a 9-8 lead after a short jumper in the lane by freshman Matt Turner at 13:56. Swarthmore looked to force the ball inside, but the JHU defense stood strong, picking up eight first-half blocks.
The contest featured the top two pairs of forwards in the Centennial - the Garnet have McCormick and Wolf (combined 27.2 points per game and 15.6 rebounds per game coming into the game) while Hopkins counters with Griffin and senior Danny Nawrocki (29.3 ppg and 16.0 rpg).
Swarthmore remained persistent inside, with McCormick's left hook in the lane at 9:45 conpleted an 8-4 run to put the home team up 17-12. Johns Hopkins used a 7-2 spurt of its own to tie the score at 19-apiece. A two-handed jam by Griffin and a three-pointer from guard Doug Polster sparked the Blue Jays' surge.
Wolf knocked down a three-pointer from the far corner at 2:19 and a Matt Kurman '08 triple 24 second later put Swarthmore out front 29-23.
A JHU turnover with six seconds left in the half allowed Swarthmore to set up one final play. Kurman raced across the mid-court stripe and lost his footing; the junior tossed the ball over his shoulder to senior guard Chris Casey who let it fly from 40 feet between two taller defenders. The ball fell from the rafters and kissed high off the window, spinning on the cylinder for a brief second before dropping in to send Swarthmore to the locker room with a 34-24 lead.
McCormick led all scorers with 11 points while Wolf chipped in 10 points and nine boards. Swarthmore held a commanding 25-15 lead on the glass.
The Garnet maintained its edge for the first ten minutes of the second half—Turner opened up the stanza by knifing through the lane for a lay-up.
Valerio made two free throws at 11:58 to cut the lead to 46-37 Swat. Garnet sophomore forward Raul Ordonez muscled in a bucket on the next Swarthmore possession and Kurman hit a fall-away jumper on the left wing to put the home team in front, 50-37, forcing a Blue Jays' timeout at 10:47.
The wheels continued to fall off the Johns Hopkins' wagon - the team was called for two technical fouls in one possession. Swarthmore was awarded four free throws and possession, yet could only come up with a single point.
A free throw contest ensued over the next ten minutes. Physical from the start of the second half, the two teams were whistled for 34 fouls and put up 49 free throws. Neither team was terribly accurate—each side shot 65 % in the second half (JHU 19 of 29, Swarthmore 13 of 20).
Wolf, Kurman, and McCormick combined to hit five of six from the line, putting Swarthmore up ten, 59-49, with 3:26 to play. McCormick's first of two, awarded after Nawrocki's fifth and final foul, would be the last point the Garnet scored on the night.
Forced to go to a quicker line-up, Johns Hopkins employed a successful full-court press, turning Swarthmore over six times in the three minutes and change. Griffin's lay-up at 1:12 tied the score at 59-all and after a Swarthmore miss, Blue Jays senior Chris Morley put the visitors on top with a lay-in with 24 seconds left. Another Swarthmore turnover and two Griffin free throws sealed the seventh consecutive win for Johns Hopkins.
The Garnet held a 42-36 edge on the boards while Hopkins won the turnover battle, 21-14.
Wolf was 8 of 10 from the line for 16 points and tied his career-high with 14 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. McCormick hit double figures for the 10th consecutive game, increasing his scoring career total to 942. He picked up two blocked shots to move into sole possession of ninth place all-time in the Centennial (113).
Swarthmore resume its push for a Centennial Conference playoff bid on Saturday, February 3 with a 4:00 p.m. home game against McDaniel. The Garnet sit in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Conference with Gettysburg (6-7) and Franklin & Marshall (6-7). Don't forget the annual Swarthmore Alumni Game takes place this Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in Tarble Pavilion.