THE FACTS
Gettysburg (15-5, 11-2 CC) 68, Johns Hopkins (15-5, 11-2 CC) 60
What: Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball game
When: Wednesday, January 31
Where: Gettysburg, Pa.
THE SKINNY STORY
Gettysburg trailed No. 18 Johns Hopkins by six points with 5:30 to play in the final half, but the Bullets caught fire and went off on a 17-3 run to steal the lead from the Blue Jays and blaze to a 68-60 win.
THE LEADERS
•
Aidan Mess (Brookeville, Md./Mt. St. Joseph) led all scorers with a career-high 22 points. He also pulled down seven rebounds and added four blocks in a huge offensive and defensive performance.
•
Akim Joseph (Port-au-Prince, Haiti/Notre Dame Fairfield [Conn.]) notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
•
Jordan Stafford (Galloway, N.J./Saint Joseph Hammonton) chipped in nine points, three assists, and three steals.
FOR THE FOES
• John Windley led the Blue Jays with 19 points.
THE REST OF THE STORY
• The first half of play remained scoreless until a Sydney Thybulle layup put the Blue Jays on the board almost 90 seconds in. The teams traded points until a Brayden Fagbemi 3-pointer gave the visitors a five-point lead. An
Aidan Mess three-point play tied the game 11-all, and the teams tied again at 20-all on the back of two
Carl Schaller (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) free throws and five points by
Akim Joseph. Baskets by Mess and Joseph kept the Bullets close to the Blue Jays, who went on a 17-9 run to lead by eight points with two minutes left in the first half. Two Stafford jumpers in the final minute of the stanza made it a two-possession game at half, 37-33.
• Gettysburg fought to stay in the game in the beginning of the second half, closing within two points twice within the first 6:47. A John Windley layup kicked off a 9-0 run for the Blue Jays that lasted just over a minute. The Bullets responded with a dunk by Mess and fastbreak layup by Joseph to close within six, and a
Ryan McKeon (Landenberg, Pa./Sanford [Del.]) jumper and
Nate Williams (Morganville, N.J./St. John Vianney) 3-pointer made it a one-point game with eight minutes to play. Two baskets by the Blue Jays got them back out to a six-point lead, which Gettysburg quickly erased with baskets by McKeon, Schaller, and Mess to tie the game for the first time since the first half, 57-all with just 3:37 remaining. From there, Gettysburg took off, with Mess making another two baskets inside of 45 seconds. A Fagbemi 3-pointer momentarily halted Gettysburg's run, but it would be the final points the Blue Jays would get on the game. Gettysburg made five of six free throws in the final 1:13 and used stifling defense, including three different Bullets with massive blocks, to prevent Johns Hopkins from scoring on their final possessions. McKeon ended things with a triumphant dunk to complete the 68-60 victory over Johns Hopkins.
THE INSIDE STORY
• With the win, Gettysburg completes the season sweep of Johns Hopkins. Coupled with an Ursinus victory over Franklin & Marshall, the Bullets forge a three-way tie for first place with five days left in the season. Gettysburg holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Johns Hopkins.
• Gettysburg shot 39.4% from field goal range, just barely edging Johns Hopkins, who shot 39.3%. However, the Blue Jays were three of eight on free throws, while the Bullets made 13 of 18.
•
Carl Schaller and
Ryan McKeon both scored eight points. McKeon added two blocks.
NEXT UP
Gettysburg returns to action Saturday against Haverford. Game time is 3 p.m.
