Men’s and women’s basketball both competed in the NCAA tournament over the past weekend. The men’s team secured two thrilling victories against Hamilton College and Mitchell College.
Men‘s basketball
On March 3, 11th-ranked Hopkins faced off against Mitchell College in what was a close game at halftime. In the first 13 minutes of the game, there were four different lead changes and five ties. With just over twelve minutes remaining in the first half, the game was tied at 15.
From there, the Blue Jays went on a 7–2 run, capped off by a corner three-pointer by graduate student guard Ethan Bartlett. However, Mitchell responded right back with two three-pointers of their own to tie the game at 22 with just over seven minutes to play in the first half.
Hopkins then went on an 11–2 run, sparked by sophomore guard John Windley. This run gave Hopkins a 33–24 lead with just under four minutes remaining in the game. Mitchell responded once again with a 10–3 run of their own to end the half at 36–34.
In the second half, the Blue Jays were on fire from the field. Within the first five minutes of the second half, the Blue Jays led 49–38.
For the next few minutes, the lead shifted back and forth between the teams. With just under 15 minutes left in the game, the Blue Jays led 51–42. However, a ferocious dunk by senior forward Sidney Thybulle gave the Blue Jays a 16-point lead. Mitchell made a small run of their own, but it wasn’t enough as the Blue Jays won 89–71.
Thybulle was named the Centennial Defensive Player of the Year for his second consecutive year. Thybulle is the first player in Centennial Conference history to win the award twice.
He spoke about what it felt like to win such a prestigious award in an interview with The News-Letter.
“It's definitely nice to be recognized for my contributions on the defensive side of the ball and pretty cool to have been the first person to have won it twice,” he said. “That being said, it's mostly a testament to the defensive culture we've built as a team. We're one of the best defenses in the country because we have guys who care about getting stops and coaches who put us in the right position. For that reason, most of the credit goes to them.”
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Sidney Thybulle is the only player in Centennial Conference history to win the Defensive Player of the Year award twice.
In the matchup against Hamilton College on March 4, the Blue Jays jumped out to an early 10–1 lead; however, by halftime, the score was deadlocked at 35–35. In the second half, the Blue Jays rode scorching hot with shooting from senior guard Carson James and others to pull away with a 45–36. While the lead shifted between Hamilton and Hopkins, the Blue Jays’ excellent outside shooting helped them prevail 81–71.
Hamilton ran a 2–3 zone defensively for the majority of the game, forcing the Blue Jays to make their outside shots, which they did shooting 53% from three for the entire game.
With the win, the Blue Jays advance to the Sweet 16 for the third time in school history and the first time since 2015.
Thybulle expressed his excitement for the upcoming games.
“We know the job isn’t finished yet and still have to take care of business in the tournament. We’re confident going into the tournament and excited to get after it,” he said.
This year’s men’s team has officially tied the program record for single-season victories with 25 wins. They will aim for the record later this week.
Women’s basketball
Women’s basketball suffered a tough opening-round defeat to Skidmore College in the first round of the NCAA tournament on March 4. A late-game stampede by Skidmore helped them narrowly escape with a 62–59 win.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Blue Jays led by 13 points with just over minutes remaining. Skidmore responded furiously with a 13–4 run to reduce the deficit to four points. Skidmore played lockdown defense in the final minutes of the game, holding the Blue Jays to zero field goals and only two points in the final three minutes of regulation.
The game ended in dramatic fashion as a three-pointer by sophomore forward Michaela O’Neil, which would’ve sent the game into overtime, missed the net. Despite the painful ending to the season, the Blue Jays finished the season 21–7. This year marked their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament.
