Five Jays score in double figures in win

Coming into the season, expectations for the Hopkins men’s basketball team were incredibly high.

The senior laden roster returned many of the starters from the previous campaign which saw the Jays make a spirited run to the Sweet Sixteen of the D-III National Championship.

With a lethal mix of talent and experience, it appeared that this year’s team could surge even beyond the heights of 2015, with a Centennial Crown and a strong shot at national title contention clearly within reach once again.

Injuries and inconsistency marred the Blue Jays for much of the first half of their season, but a defining victory against a tough Swarthmore College opponent last weekend provides hope that the Jays can surge into contention as the campaign draws to a conclusion.

Leading for most of the contest, the Jays were able to score the final eight points of the game and pull away for a spirited 62-53 victory. With the win, Hopkins levels its overall mark to an even .500 at 9-9 (6-5 Centennial), while the Garnet fell to 15-4 (9-3 Centennial).

Hopkins now sits in fourth place in the Conference table, and there are hopes that a late season surge could propel the Jays into the second position, ahead of both Gettysburg College and Swarthmore.

Helping matters is the fact that Hopkins was able to sweep the season series with the Garnet in their victory, providing a crucial head to head tiebreaker that could ultimately become noteworthy.

Propelled by a 13-2 run early in the contest, the Jays managed to open up a 21-8 lead with eight minutes remaining in the opening half thanks to a lockdown defense and an unselfish offensive presence.

Five different Blue Jays scored over the course of this stretch, which was punctuated by back to back baskets by standout senior forward Matt Billups.

Billups served as an X-factor throughout much of the contest, en route to recording the first double-double of his season with 10 points and 10 boards.

Standout senior guard Sam Gordon, who contributed 11 points of his own in the victory, attributed this interior success to both game planning and the exploitation of their opponent’s weakness.

“In terms of what made us successful offensively, I think it really came down to getting the ball inside,” Gordon said. “One of Swarthmore’s starting forwards, and one of its best players, is out for the season, so we came into the game trying to capitalize on their lack on size inside. What this meant in the actual flow of the game was pretty much feed the ball to the big (Billups) and clear out so he had space to operate. I also played in the post a bit since I’m a big guard.”

When talking about his personal success on both ends of the floor in the contest, Billups attributed it mainly to the efforts of his teammates, but also to his resolute determination to never take any plays off and play with incredible passion.

“Personally, most of my points and rebounds are only possible because other guys on the floor are doing their job, boxing out their man, making a great pass, setting good screens,” Billups said. “But I can attribute some of my success to working hard, both in practice and on the court in games. It’s easy to take plays off and not go for an offensive rebound or not box out on a few defensive possessions, but I try my hardest to limit that.”

A stifling defense was the key towards Hopkins opening up an insurmountable lead in the first half, as the team managed to hold the Garnet to 20 points. Billups attributed this defensive success to the fact that the Jays starting five were able to match up very well with their opponent physically.

“Playing tough defense was why we met with success against Swarthmore,” Billups said. “We match up well with them and we can play our game. After our loss to Washington College, we had to dial in our defense, and our refocus showed on Saturday, holding them to only 20 points in the first half was a real testament to that.”

In the win on Saturday, five Jays finished the contest with double figures in points scored, serving as a testament to the unselfish offensive approach which propelled them to a gutsy victory.

Leading all scorers in the contest was senior guard Gene Williams, who finished with 13 points, including the final two free throws which sealed the win. Senior Niko Kotoulas finished with 11 points, while junior forward Ryan Curran finished with 10 of his own.

Despite the tough start to open the season, the team is still incredibly optimistic that they can make a run in the playoffs.

“Our record doesn’t really reflect how good we are, and a lot of that has to do with playing down to our opponents,” Gordon said. “Dickinson and Wash College are definitely inferior teams to us talent-wise, but we dropped both games. We can’t afford to lose any more like those moving forward, so that’s one thing that’s definitely a key to winning the conference.”

With seven games left to play before the Centennial Conference tournament begins, the Jays certainly have an opportunity to go on a late season climb up the standings.

Next up for the Jays, they will host the Gettysburg College Bullets in a pivotal matchup in Goldfarb Gymnasium on February 2 at 8 p.m.