BALTIMORE, MD – University of Rochester men's basketball fell to the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, 72-53 in the final game of their 2023-24 non-conference slate on Tuesday afternoon inside Goldfarb Gymnasium.
 
UR would get off to a slow start in the contest, as the home Blue Jays scored 11 of the first 15 points of the opening quarter. Logan Jagodzinski's three-pointer proved to be Rochester's only field goal of the first five minutes, as JHU stretched their early lead out to seven behind back-to-back driving layups from John Windley and Carson James.
 
Matt Wiele and Jack Garside answered with back-to-back buckets of their own, getting Rochester's offense going just past the 14-minute mark of the first half before David Ackles went 1-for-2 at the free throw line to make it a three-point game with 11:58 to play in the first.
 
Another Hopkins run though, this time a 13-5 run over the next six-plus minutes, helped the Blue Jays stretch their lead out to double digits, as Charlie Jackson gave JHU a 25-14 lead following a pair of free throws with 5:48 until the half.
 
Once again though, the Yellowjackets would claw their way back, answering with a 12-3, kicked off by Tomiwa Adetosoye's floater at the 5:39 mark of the first half.
 
Jeb Williams answered with a three for the home side, but the 'Jackets would hold Hopkins scoreless for the next three minutes, scoring 10-straight points to pull within a pair. Wiele scored the first five points of UR's run before Jagodzinski's dunk cut Johns Hopkins' lead to 28-26.
 
But the Blue Jays would score the final five points of the half to take a 33-26 lead at the break, and Brayden Fagbemi would knock down another triple, one of 10 on the day for JHU, to start the second half to once again give the home side a double-digit lead.
 
In the second half, Rochester would twice get the deficit down to six, first on Ackles' jumper with 16:14 to play and again following Malachi Moore's driving layup at the 11:04 mark. But each time, Hopkins answered, preventing UR from pulling any closer. Following Moore's layup, Williams scored seven-straight, with his three giving the Blue Jays a 55-44 lead with 9:11 to play.
 
Free throws by Wiele and Mitchell Kershner made it a 12-point game with just over six to play, but the Blue Jays would put the game out of reach with a 12-0 run, forcing a pair of turnovers and holding UR scoreless over three-plus minutes late in the second.
 
Garside, Andrew Jackson and Theo Murray would add points for UR late before Isaiah Hanson's two free throws finished off the 72-53 victory for the Blue Jays.
 
Rochester wraps up non-conference play at 6-5 on the year with the loss, while Johns Hopkins moves to 6-4 with the win.
 
Wiele tallied a game-high 19 points to lead all scorers, shooting 8-for-13 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Moore added a team-high six rebounds, while Wiele also led UR with two steals and two blocks.
 
As a team, Rochester shot 33.9 percent and 28.6 percent from three, while the Blue Jays shot 40.7 percent overall and knocked down 10-of-23 three-point attempts.
 
Rochester will look to bounce back when it opens UAA play on Saturday, Jan. 6 at 2 p.m. inside the Louis Alexander Palestra against Emory.