COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus men's basketball team battled back in the second half but was unable to overcome an early deficit, falling 84-78 to Johns Hopkins on Saturday afternoon inside Helfferich Hall.
 

With the loss, Ursinus dropped to 13-8 overall and 6-3 in Centennial Conference action. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays improved to 16-5 on the season and 7-2 in conference play. Senior Mohamed Toure led the Bears with a team-high 21 points and 13 rebounds, while junior Matthew Field added 16 points and five rebounds. Sophomore Jamie Murphy tallied 12 points, and first-year Tomas Belatier contributed 10 points and two assists.
 

Field scored the first two points of the contest, but a Hopkins 3-pointer sparked an 11-2 run to give the Blue Jays an 11-4 advantage at the 15:33 mark. The Bears responded with a triple by junior Luke Nieman and a layup by Belatier to cut the deficit to two with 13:57 remaining in the first half. After a Hopkins basket, Ursinus regained a 14-13 advantage behind Nieman's second 3-pointer and a basket by Murphy in transition. However, Johns Hopkins answered with an 11-6 run behind three straight triples to gain a 24-20 lead with 9:37 to play. Both teams traded baskets over the next three minutes until a 12-3 Blue Jays run gave the visitors a 40-30 lead with 2:28 remaining before halftime. Ursinus closed the half with baskets by Field and Toure to cut the deficit to six entering the second half.

 
Johns Hopkins opened the second half with five straight points to extend its lead to 11, but a 12-4 Bears run made the score 49-46 with 15:08 to play. The run began with four straight points from Belatier and was capped by a Toure 3-pointer. Belatier and first-year Trevor Toulson then combined for the next four points for Ursinus, tying the contest at 51 with 13:32 remaining. The Bears gained a 54-52 advantage at the 12:41 mark off Toure's third 3-pointer, but consecutive Blue Jays 3-pointers and a free throw gave Hopkins a 59-56 lead.
 

Both teams traded baskets with the score tied at 65 until back-to-back 3-pointers by Johns Hopkins gave the visitors a six-point lead with under seven minutes to play. Ursinus responded with six straight points to tie the contest at 71, but a quick 5-0 run from the Blue Jays made the score 76-71 with two minutes remaining. The Bears cut the deficit to one on two occasions but could not complete the comeback, falling 84-78.
 
 
Ursinus shot 44.9% (31-of-69) from the field, 28.6% (6-of-21) from 3-point range and 66.7% (10-of-15) from the free-throw line. Johns Hopkins shot 39.1% (25-of-64) from the floor, 39.4% (13-of-33) from deep and 91.3% (21-of-23) at the charity stripe. Jeb Williams led the visitors with a game-high 22 points and five rebounds.
 

The Bears will return to action Wednesday as they travel to Haverford for a Centennial Conference matchup beginning at 8 p.m.