In the end, the Johns Hopkins men?s basketball team came up one comeback short.
The Blue Jays have either trailed or been tied at halftime in 14 of their 29 games this season. However, a 13-point halftime deficit was too much to overcome Saturday as visiting Guilford (23-4) defeated Johns Hopkins, 80-73, in the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament.
Despite the loss, Hopkins coach Bill Nelson said there is so much for him to be proud about this season to let that loss lessen those accomplishments. The Blue Jays finished the season with a school-best 24-5 record that included rallying back from 18 down Friday to come away with an 84-72 win over cross-town rival Villa Julie (20-8).
Johns Hopkins also wonits second Centennial Conference title, posted its 12th straight winning season, made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1999 and won its first tournament game since 1998.
“The seniors [on this team] I can?t say enough about their class,” Nelson said. “They?re really sensational individuals and great leaders. They treat the freshman just like they treat each other. This is the best record Hopkins ever had and it can be attributed to them.”
Nelson may have a difficult time repeating many of those goals next year as five players, including four starters, from this year?s team are expected to graduate this spring. Among them are forwards Matt Griffin and Danny Nawrocki, who each have more than 1,000 career points.
While Nawrocki had 17 points and 15 rebounds Saturday against Guilford, Griffin struggled. Early foul trouble limited his playing time and he finished with seven points and three rebounds. He averaged 17.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
“We?ve been coming out with slow starts all year and it seemed like we were always able to bounce back and just fight,” Nawrocki said. “But [Saturday] we came up a little bit short.”
Rim shots
» Johns Hopkins trailed by as many as 17 points Saturday against Guilford before pulling within six points three times in the final three minutes.
» Senior guard T.J. Valerio tied forward Dan Nawrocki as each scored a team-high 17 points.
