COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College men's basketball team kept it close early, but was unable to keep up with Johns Hopkins on Saturday afternoon, falling 75-56 in a battle of Centennial Conference contenders.
The Bears (13-6, 9-3) and Blue Jays were back and forth for the first 10 minutes of the game, as sophomore Ryan McTamney opened up the game with a corner 3-pointer just 30 seconds into the matchup.
The two sides seemed to trade baskets for the next nine minutes, as junior Eric Williams Jr. hit a midrange jumper that led to a jump-hook from senior Zach Quattro to put the Bears ahead 7-6 3:40 into the half. Quattro struck again with a 3-pointer to put the Bears up 10-8 before senior Remi Janicot hit a 3-pointer of his own to get his squad back on top 13-11 with 13:20 to go.
It was a tight game until the clock got under the 9-minute mark. McTamney sank a turnaround hook to tie the game at 17, but the Blue Jays (15-4, 9-3) came alive, ringing off a 23-3 run over the next eight minutes to build a 40-23 advantage. Johns Hopkins' Conner Delaney was unstoppable, hitting three 3-pointers in the span of 1:15 towards the end of the half. Quattro would get a lay-in with 34 seconds left, but the Blue Jays responded with a basket of their own to close out the frame with a 42-25 lead.
It looked like the Bears had the Blue Jays in check from beyond the arc – where they've done damage to other teams this season – holding them to 0-for-6 to start, but Hopkins got hot at the right time, finishing the half 3-of-9 from 3-point range thanks to Delaney and shooting 60 percent overall.
Despite the Bears' height advantage, they were overpowered on the boards. The Blue Jays pulled down 21 rebounds – including six on the offensive end – compared to just 10 total boards for Ursinus. Johns Hopkins dominated in the paint as well, outscoring the Bears at a 24-8 clip in the first 20 minutes of play.
It was much of the same for both sides in the second half. Johns Hopkins continued to roll on the offensive end while the Bears couldn't find an answer. Quattro and Janicot each recorded a block in the first four minutes of the second half before Williams Jr. hit a 3-pointer to make it a 58-34 game with 11:28 left.
Senior Joseph LoStracco got four minutes of play toward the end of the game and made the most of his chance, tallying seven points including his first career 3-pointer. It was the big man's first ever attempt from beyond the arc as well. His seven points were a season high.
Quattro led all Bears in points, scoring 10 to go with a pair of rebounds. Williams Jr. and McTamney wrapped up the game with nine and eight points, respectively. The Bears were outrebounded 42-23 in the ballgame.
Kyle Doran went off for 25 points and 13 rebounds to pace Johns Hopkins, which got 19 points from Delaney and 12 from Michael Gardner.
The Bears hit the road with a trip to Franklin & Marshall on Wednesday before visiting Washington College next Saturday. They'll return to Collegeville on February 7, with a matchup against Swarthmore.