Welcome back everyone to another edition of Hopkins Sports! After two successful weeks of action, it’s safe to say that the Blue Jays have settled well into the swing of the spring season. In saying that, let’s take a dive into some of the best performances from our athletes across the board this week.
Men’s Lacrosse: W (13-10)
The gods of lacrosse scheduling did not favor Hopkins, as the Blue Jays were made to venture into Colorado to face the No. 8 ranked University of Denver Pioneers to begin their season.
Denver made it onto the scoreboard early on as a result of a goal from midfielder Joshua Carlson; however, this would be the last time that the Pioneers held an advantage in the game. The Blue Jays went on a 4-0 run over the next seven minutes, placing them in a commanding position going into the second quarter. The second quarter played out as a more even contest as the teams traded goals, eventually allowing Denver to come within reach of taking the lead before halftime.
Entering the third quarter, Denver managed to tie the game up at 7-7 before the Blue Jays once again asserted their dominance upon the game, marked by an impressive 5-1 run into the fourth quarter. The Pioneers attempted to come back with a late push but it was far too little and late.
Senior Russell Melendez stole the show for the Blue Jays, as he added four goals and two assists, supported by an impressive performance from junior Matt Collison who contributed a goal and three assists himself.
Overall, it was a very strong start to the season from Hopkins, and they will look to continue their good form into the match against Towson University later today. The Blue Jays will play their first home game of the season on Saturday Feb. 8 against Georgetown.
Men’s Basketball: W (78-67), W (63-38), W (86-60)
After a difficult start to the season, I’m confident in saying that it seems as if the men’s basketball team have officially found their stride. This week’s play has seen them improve their winning streak to eight straight and move to 7-0 in conference games.
The first win of the week came against Mary Washington as they thoroughly outshot the Eagles en route to a 78-67 victory. The game was never quite close enough to cause any fears, as the Blue Jays held a commanding lead throughout the entirety of the second half. Senior guard Brian Johansson performed especially impressively as he racked up 25 points, including a lights-out 5-8 from beyond the arc.
Two days later, Hopkins would be matched up against the Dickinson College Red Devils in another Centennial Conference face-off on Jan. 29. Despite the fact that the hot hand of the Blue Jays had cooled off, they still managed to romp their way to a comfortable 63-38 win over the Red Devils. The defense was the star of the show as Dickinson were held to abysmal shooting splits of 28% from the field and 21% from three: a credit to the energy and hustle brought by the Jays.
The final meeting of the week came on Sunday Feb. 1 against Haverford College. In what has become a bit of a trend for the Jays, they rode the hot hand, and in this instance it was that of Senior John Windley. Windley was ballistic from long range, knocking down seven of his nine three-point attempts, allowing the Fords no mercy in the Jays’ 86-60 victory.
Women’s Basketball: W (60-53 (OT)), W (62-38)
The women’s basketball team has been enjoying enormous amounts of success this season, and that did not stop this week. As the No. 22 team in the nation, the Blue Jays continued their great form as they matched up against both Dickinson and Haverford.
In one of the closest matchups of the year, Hopkins managed to overcome the Red Devils in a thrilling 60-53 win in overtime. Senior Michaela O’Neil carried much of the scoring burden as she put 22 points on the board — the most of anyone in the contest. O’Neil was responsible for nine of the Blue Jays’ 10 points in the final quarter, an instrumental effort in pushing the game to overtime.
Later on in the week, the Blue Jays handled business in a much more dominant style with their 62-38 win over Haverford. Once again, O’Neil top-scored in the game with 13 as well as tallying up 3 blocks. A strong stretch through the second and third quarters in which Haverford was outscored 40-20 established what was ultimately an insurmountable lead, helping the Blue Jays to win their seventh straight game.
Look out for the Blue Jays and be sure to support them as they will be taking on both Gettysburg College and Ursinus College at Homewood later this week.
