W. basketball comes up short against Bears

Despite a relentless second half comeback, the Hopkins women’s basketball team fell 11 points short to the Ursinus College Bears, losing 51-40.

“After losing to Ursinus earlier in the season, we were looking to make some adjustments,” sophomore forward Maggie Spitzer said. “But on Saturday, we struggled to find our confidence early and gave them too many chances on both ends, which they capitalized on. We made our way back in the second half but just could not sustain a solid run to put the game away.”

Sophomore guard Lexie Scholtz put Hopkins on the scoreboard with a three-pointer just two minutes into the game. The Bears quickly responded, gaining a 6-3 lead with seven minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Freshman guard Maggie Wodicka and sophomore forward Marissa Varnado hit two free throws each, but Ursinus battled back again for an 18-9 lead at the end of the quarter.

Both teams opened the second quarter with a scoring drought until Ursinus went on a 7-2 run to expand their lead.

Hopkins responded by scoring the final eight points of the quarter, two of them being a layup by Scholtz right at the buzzer. Hopkins outscored the Bears 12-9 in the second quarter but still went into halftime facing a 27-21 deficit.

The Blue Jays started the third quarter with two consecutive layups and a few minutes later added one more from sophomore guard Lillian Scott to tie the game at 29-29 with a little under seven minutes left to play.

Ursinus responded with the next seven points to regain their lead. Spitzer came into the game and scored four points in the last minutes of the quarter. The score at the end of the third quarter was 38-33.

An 8-4 run by the Jays to open the fourth quarter nearly tied up the score at 42-41, but the Bears went on an eight-point run to finish off the game. The Jays failed to add to their score in the remaining minutes, and the final score was 50-41.

Scott tallied a team-high of 15 points during the game. Meanwhile, Scholtz added 11 points, with nine rebounds and three steals.

Despite the loss, the Jays had the opportunity to not only honor Hopkins women’s basketball alumni before tipoff, but also gain insight from these former players about their experiences on the court and after college. The five women honored were members of the 1997 team, who reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament and are the only team in program history to do so thus far.

Maggie Spitzer talked about the brunch before the game with members of the 1997 team and the impact that it had on the current Jays.

“The Alumni Brunch was an incredible experience that allowed us to network with former women’s basketball players from Hopkins,” Spitzer said. “Their vast spread of careers, personal stories and perspectives on their time at Hopkins were very inspirational. Those connections will be so helpful as we pursue careers in similar fields, and we were so lucky to have had the chance to meet some of the amazing women from this program who have come before us.”

The Blue Jays have seen immense improvement throughout the season, the freshmen class being an integral part to the process.

“Our team has developed so much over that past few months,” Spitzer said. “We have found our team chemistry on the court and have learned how to play to each other’s strengths. Our freshmen specifically have stepped up in games and continued to grow and adapt to the college game.”

Although the Jays have pride in their development, they are not going to settle. They plan to head into their next Centennial Conference game stronger than they have in the past.

“Heading into the Gettysburg game, we are looking to avenge our loss earlier in the year. We have improved so much as a team, especially on defense, since that loss, and we just have to play well for all four quarters,” Spitzer said.

Hopkins will have a few more opportunities to face off against Centennial Conference competitors, and they are confident that favorable outcomes will follow if they train hard and embody the right attitude.

“For the rest of the season, we are looking to finish strong and approach every remaining conference game with a must-win mentality,” Spitzer said.

“The Conference has been shaken up a lot all year, and we just have to worry about what is in our control. If we take care of business and get into the Conference playoffs, we know we can handle anyone that comes our way.”