Two weekends ago, the Hopkins men’s basketball team pulled back-to-back upsets against Franklin & Marshall and Dickinson to win the Centennial Conference Championship for the first time since 2007. From this success, the team secured themselves a spot in the NCAA Division III championships this past weekend.
None of the players on the current roster had played in the NCAA tournament before.
Hopkins went into the tournament as the underdog against Virginia Wesleyan who had a 22-6 record during the regular season and had played in the tournament for the last 10 years. This did not cause the Jays to lose their confidence, as they had shown the previous weekend that they could defeat any team no matter their record.
“We were the underdogs in our own conference tournament so we were used to not being favored when we got matched up with Virginia Wesleyan in the first round,” junior George Bugarinovic said. “They are traditionally a D-III basketball powerhouse that consistently makes deep tournament runs. We knew it would be a tough, competitive match-up but believed that we could win.”
The stadium filled up quickly as the crowd of nearly 1500 fans took their seats. This was the largest crowd that Hopkins had played for, but instead of letting their nerves kick in, they let it fuel their excitement.
“The crowd wasn’t intimidating; if anything, it made it more exciting. We played well in front of big crowds all year so we weren’t too worried about that,” sophomore Gene Williams said.
Virginia Wesleyan’s experience seemed to take control for the first few minutes as the Marlin’s started the game on a 24-8 run to give them a 16 point lead less than eight minutes into the game. The Jays only shot one for eight during this stretch, while the Marlin’s shot nine for 10. It didn’t help that Hopkins allowed three turnovers as well. Hopkins called an early timeout to try to refocus and calm down before the game got out of hand. The team knew they needed to halt their opponent’s momentum, and also refocus and concentrate on defense.
“Them (Virginia Wesleyan) being on their home court certainly gave them confidence entering the game. They got out to an extremely hot start, as their guards hit some extremely difficult jump-shots. After our slow start, we stuck to our key defensive principles and started executing better offensively. That let us chip away and get back into the game,” Bugarinovic said.
As the players retook the court, the Jays began their comeback attempt. Sophomore Nikolas Kotoulis ended the Marlin’s streak by stealing the ball and being fouled when taking it to the net. He made both of his free throws to start a 14-8 run that cut the lead down to 10. Williams had eight points during the run, including two of his four three-pointers on the night (his four three pointers set a team record in the NCAA tournament). The Marlin’s finished the half with an 8-2 run though to regain their 16 point lead.
The Jays continued to play better in the second half cutting the deficit down to nine with a 12-5 run started by both Williams and junior Jimmy Hammer draining three pointers. The Marlin’s pushed their way back to a 13 point lead, but with 12:46 left, Hammer and Williams scored seven unmatched points to bring Hopkins within five.
Virginia Wesleyan responded with a 15-8 run to give them a 12-point lead with just over five minutes to play. Senior Connor McIntyre and Bugarinovic controlled the next three minutes with eight points and a rebound each to cut the lead to six with two minutes to play. The teams remained close for the last few minutes. However, with only 46 seconds remaining in the game, the Marlins went on a 7-1 run by making seven of eight free throws to win the game by 12.
It was a tough end to the season for the Jays after playing very well in the second half. While the Jays weren't able to overcome the deficit, they can be proud of the hard work and all of the accomplishments they earned this season.
“Anytime you win the conference championship, it's a successful season. Losing in the tournament was tough and it'll be sad to see our seniors go. They were a great group of guys and great leaders both on and off the court. But with the experience we gained from this year, I think we'll come back strong next year and make another run,” Williams said. The Jays will have an entire year to begin training in preparation for the new season next year. A Centennial Conference Championship repeat will certainly be on their minds as the Jays will look to improve on one of their most successful seasons in Hopkins basketball history.
