Feb. 23, 2008

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - Sophomore Andrew Farber-Miller (Charlottesville, VA/St. Anne's-Belfield) tipped in a missed three-pointer and senior Doug Polster (Bernardsville, NJ/Bernards) hit a baseline jumper with 9.6 seconds left to lift Johns Hopkins to a 69-68 win over Washington in overtime. The Blue Jays, playing their school-record seventh overtime game, improve to 16-9 overall and 12-6 in the Centennial Conference. The Shoremen close their season at 5-20 overall and 2-16 in the conference.

Trailing by five with just 1:39 to play in regulation, junior Scott Weisenfeld (Mt. Kisco, NY/Horace-Greeley) drove the paint and kissed one off the glass to cut it to three. On the ensuing possession, junior Collin Kamm (Avon, NJ/Saint Rose) forced a Washington College turnover and Weisenfield capitalized with a bucket at 1:14 to make it a 57-56 game. After missed buckets by both teams, the Shoremen's James Whall was fouled with just 6.1 ticks remaining. Whall missed both with sophomore Pat O'Connell (Baltimore, MD/Loyola Blakefield) grabbing the rebound off the second miss and getting fouled. O'Connell stepped to the line and hit one of two to knot the game at 57-57 and force overtime.

In the overtime, the Blue Jays led by two after a pair of free throws from Weisenfeld, but the Shoremen answered with a 7-1 run to take a 67-63 lead with just 46 seconds to play. Weisenfeld hit another big bucket and had a chance for the three-point play but missed the free throw. He got his own rebound, but Hopkins could not find the game-tying bucket and Bobby Klepacki came up with a defensive rebound for Washington. O'Connell quickly fouled and Klepacki made one of two and the Shoremen led 68-65 with 17.7 seconds to play. Hopkins brought the ball up and Weisenfeld's three from the top of the key hit the rim, but Farber-Miller was there to tip it in. On the inbounds pass, senior Kevin Roach (Derwood, MD/Magruder) stepped in front and intercepted Klepacki's pass. He quickly dished to Polster for his game-winning bucket.

Hopkins led 30-26 at half time after shooting 52.2 percent from the floor, but went cold in the second, shooting just 24.0 percent. Washington came out of the half with a 13-3 run to push out to a 39-33 lead. The Shoremen would not relinquish that lead until O'Connell's free throw tied the game with 5.1 seconds remaining. Whall was a force in the paint for the Shoremen, with 17 of his 25 points coming in the second half.

Weisenfeld scored a career-high 19 points to lead the Blue Jays. Also scoring in double figures were Polster (14) and Farber)-Miller (12). Roach and Farber-Miller led Hopkins on the board with nine rebounds each. Whall's 25 points led four Shoremen in double figures.

Hopkins returns to action on Saturday, March 1 against Gettysburg in the Centennial Conference semifinals. Ursinus, the #1 seed, will host this year's tournament. Game times will be announced on Monday.