Coming off a three-game losing streak for the first time since the 2000-2001 season, the women's basketball team needed a win in the worst way on Saturday at Goldfarb Gymnasium.
The visiting Swarthmore Garnet (2-3, 1-1) felt the desperation that only a losing skid of such large proportions can create as Hopkins's suffocating defense stymied the Garnet offense early and strong play by the Jays down low propelled them to an important 78-45 conference win.
Hopkins's game plan was clear from the opening tip: Find Karen Berk. The senior forward is fifth all-time on Swarthmore's career scoring leaders list and came into the game averaging 19.3 points. She needed to be neutralized in order to ensure a win.
Hopkins started a taller lineup to handle Berk, going with three forwards and two guards instead of their normal three guards and two forwards.
"I think we were very ready to come out differently as a team," junior guard/forward Sarah DePaolo said.
"We needed to come out a little more active than we had been and hassle their guards, not let them get any second chances or rebounds. Our main goal, though, was to keep it out of [Berk's] hands."
Hopkins scored first on a jumper by senior forward Andrea Dodrill but the Garnet took the lead three minutes in, going up 3-2. Fifteen seconds after taking the lead, however, junior guard Jonay Foster nailed a three-pointer to put the Jays back on top.
The Garnet would never lead again. Berk did not even score her first basket until over 10 minutes had elapsed in the first half and Hopkins had jumped out to a 10-point lead.
"We knew they had a couple kids but we were concerned about [Berk] from the very beginning," said head coach Nancy Funk, now in her 22nd season with the Jays.
"I thought we did a really good job on her."
Hopkins continued to build on its lead heading into halftime and went into the break up 41-22 and dominating.
Even though the Jays were up big, however, coach Funk warned the team to come out in the second half as if it were a new game.
And it was a new game. The Garnet managed to carve out a little space down low and chip the Hopkins lead down to just 9 points, a far cry from the 19-point deficit Swarthmore faced at halftime.
"We were just not gunning as hard," DePaolo said of her team's play early in the second half. "We let them get too many easy layups."
Just as soon as it looked like it was turning into a close contest, however, the Lady Jays reverted to their previous game strategy. Hopkins dominated the glass, out-rebounding Swarthmore 60-45 in the afternoon. Most importantly, though, the Hopkins women established an impressive 33-16 edge in offensive boards.
"Our players made good adjustments," Funk said. "We got key boards and hit key buckets. Hopefully it's a confidence-builder."
Hopkins put up 15 unanswered points to end the game, capped off by sophomore guard Leigh McAdams's first three-pointer of the season. The Lady Jays sent a clear message to the rest of the Centennial Conference that the team will be a powerful force in the 2007-2008 season.
Both Burton and Phillips turned in double-doubles in the game, each scoring a team-high 12 points and grabbing 11 and 12 rebounds, respectively. For Burton, it was her first collegiate double-double and the best game of her young career.
"It felt good," Burton said of her achievement. "But most importantly it was a very good team effort."
That team effort was epitomized by DePaolo, who scored seven points and had nine rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench for her best game as a Blue Jay.
"Sarah [DePaolo] was a real inspiration," Funk said. "We really got contributions from everyone."
"It's nice to come off the bench and surprise them," DePaolo said. "It's almost easier to come off the bench because the players on the other team think of you as a bench player."
Hopkins, now 1-1 in the Centennial Conference, has two more conference games on the road against Gettysburg and Dickinson before heading into holiday break."It's the same mentality for us going into both of these games," DePaolo said.
"Team defense is our biggest goal and keeping the turnovers down. Basically we need to make sure we are not playing their game but playing our own," she said.
Tuesday, the Jays didn't fare as well, falling to Gettysburg 68-38.
Hopkims plans to keep DePaolo's words in mind as they travel to Carlisle, Pennsylvania on Friday to face Dickinson College.
