M. Basketball has to fight for this week's pair of victories

For the men's basketball team, what has been a record-setting season is becoming increasingly worrisome as the Centennial Conference season winds down. The Blue Jays barely survived two closely contested road games in this past week, beating Swarthmore 63-59 last Wednesday and winning in double overtime against Haverford 72-68 to improve their record to 13-1 in conference and 19-2 overall. They've gained a reputation as a second-half team, although that kind of recognition is not something Head Coach Bill Nelson likes.

"We've been behind at half nine times this season and won eight of them," Nelson said. "We need to play hard in both halves. This is the kind of thing that will haunt us if we can't change it."

The Blue Jays trailed by 10 at halftime at Swarthmore, even facing a double-digit margin deep into the second half. Hopkins used stifling defense, keyed by senior forward Chris Morley, to end the game on a 14-0 run over the final minutes. The Blue Jays trailed 59-49, with 3:26 remaining in the game after a Swarthmore free throw. But that would be the last point of the game for the Garnet, who were unable to beat the Hopkins pressure defense.

"Morley and (junior forward) Kevin Roach keyed our defense," Nelson said. "They were able to lead us on that 14-0 run."

Senior forward Matt Griffin was the Jays' offensive force, scoring 21 points on 7-12 shooting from the field. Senior guard TJ Valerio chipped in with 10 points. The Jays struggled from the three-point range, shooting just 1-13 from beyond the arc. Hopkins usually relies on the three as an important part of their offense, so if any opponent makes an upset run, a Hopkins team that struggles with outside shooting will be very susceptible.

In a rematch against the only conference team to beat them this season, the Blue Jays traveled to Haverford on Saturday. Once again, the Ford gave the Jays all they could handle, using good defense and a well-balanced offense to take the game down to the wire. The Jays again faced a deficit at halftime, trailing by six. But Hopkins fought back and was able to force overtime.

"We have been a second-half team," Valerio said. "It just seems to take us a while to get in a groove. We stay even with these teams, then we find the right time and pull ahead. Other teams just can't stay with us for 40 minutes."

The Jays needed an extra 10 minutes to pull away from the Fords. The teams went back and forth in the first overtime before going scoreless in the final 40 seconds. In the second overtime, Hopkins got six points from Griffin, four from junior guard Doug Polster and three from Morley to secure the victory.

"Haverford is a good team," Valerio said of his team's struggles against the Fords. "They bump us, and make it very difficult for us to get into our offensive sets. We play them and always have to work harder to get our shots."

For Nelson and the Blue Jays, their two games in the past week were hopefully aberrations on what as otherwise been a very solid past few weeks. Playing from behind will certainly catch up to Hopkins, and with their lead over Ursinus at only one game in the Centennial Conference, the Jays can't afford any disappointments down the stretch.

"We can't afford a letdown," Nelson said. "Especially with Ursinus right there, every game is important."

The Jays continue their conference season next week. After a game on Wednesday against McDaniel, the Blue Jays host Ursnius on Saturday at 4 p.m. before traveling to Gettysburg next Wednesday.