Expectations were high when the women's basketball team headed to Allentown, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 16 to face Muhlenberg in what was sure to be a royal rumble on the court. However, the Lady Jays could not return with a victory, as they fell to Muhlenberg with a final score of 57-52. Hopkins (10-12, 8-8) faced tough competition with the 18-5 Mules, and Muhlenberg's win on Saturday clinched them a spot in the Centennial playoffs. Despite some disappointment, Hopkins did not head back to Baltimore without some team, as well as personal, victories.
Coming out with a force from the very beginning, Muhlenberg got going early in the contest, running out to a 6-0 lead behind four points from their junior, Lauren Boyle. However, the Jays were not going to let them get off that easily, and they came back with a 13-0 run to take a 13-6 lead with just 14:25 to play in the first half. Senior forward Andrea Dodrill and sophomore guard Anastasia Wynn each had four points during the run, and tried to keep the Muhlenberg scoring to a minimum. The Mules tied the game at 15-15 only about three minutes later. For the rest of the half, it was a battle of mammal vs. fowl as the Mules and Jays went back and forth on baskets, and it was 21-21 with only 8:30 to go before the break. Junior forward Kristin Phillips knocked down a three-pointer just a minute later to put Hopkins up 24-21.
However, Muhlenberg would tighten their grip and score 10 of the final 12 points in the half to make the score 31-26 as the teams headed into the locker room.
In the locker room, the Jays planned out what had to be done. Play defense and play it hard. Muhlenberg was throwing everything at them, and the best way to win this game would be to get those rebounds, make their shots and swat down anything in reach that headed to the Mules basket.
When the two teams re-took the court, Hopkins hit their first two buckets in the second half to make the score 31-30. However, Muhlenberg quickly came back and went on a 10-3 scoring spree over the next four minutes to take the largest lead of the game at 41-33. With 14:30 left in the game, the Lady Jays clawed their way back to make it only a six-point deficit. At just over six minutes left to play, junior guard Caitlin Sloan sunk a three-pointer to make it a 45-42 match in favor of Muhlenberg. About three minutes later, Phillips sunk her two free throws to make it a 49-48 point game, making a Hopkins come-back seem to be somewhat of a reality. However, this would be the closest that Hopkins would get to Muhlenberg, as the hosts scored eight of the final 11 points in the game to seal the 57-52 victory.
Despite the heart-breaking loss, the Jays put up some decent numbers. Phillips led the squad with her seventh double-double of the season, and she added 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds to the Hopkins statistics.
Dodrill was just shy of a double-double on the day with 12 points and nine rebounds, while freshman forward Lyndsay Burton put up eight points and led the defense with nine rebounds.
After travelling to Bryn Mawr on Wednesday, Feb. 20, the ladies will host Washington College to close out the regular season at the Goldfarb Gymnasium at 1 p.m. The Blue Jays hold a 19-0 record in the all-time series with Washington.
Just earlier this season, Hopkins clawed their way back to win the game against Washington from a 14-point deficit. During that match, Phillips had a career-high 18 rebounds and 17 points. The Jays hope to have a repeat performance on Saturday.
In addition to hopefully extending the series score against Washington to 20-0, Hopkins will take a moment before the game to honor Dodrill and her final season with the Jays.
She currently leads the squad, as she is averaging 10.6 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game.
She enters the week ranked sixth in career rebounds at Hopkins with 622 rebounds and she has scored in 48 straight games. Her final home game will definitely be a memorable one.
