Hopkins women’s basketball improved to 6-1 on Saturday, Dec. 2 with a win over Centennial Conference opponent Muhlenberg College. The Blue Jays took control of the game early, establishing a double-digit lead in the first quarter, and never looked back en route to a comfortable 77-55 victory over the Mules. This was par for the course for the Blue Jays, who have come out firing on all cylinders to begin their 2023-2024 campaign.
Offensive onslaught
The Blue Jays put up 77 points, their most so far this season, powering them to victory in a game where they nailed 10 three-pointers and dominated the paint.
Key contributions came from junior forward Greta Miller and sophomore guard Elisabeth Peebles who led the scoring for the Blue Jays with 20 points each. Sophomore guard Macie Feldman orchestrated the bench unit, putting up a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Blue Jays dominated in nearly every facet of this game. Hopkins outscored the Mules 32-16 on points in the paint and out-rebounded Muhlenberg 49 to 39. The only area of struggle for the Blue Jays came at the free throw line where they shot an underwhelming 5/14.
The bulk of the Blue Jays’ scoring came in hot stretches during the first and third quarters. The Blue Jays first pulled away from the Mules in the final minutes of the first quarter, scoring 11 points in the final two minutes, including the last four buckets of the quarter driven by key steals from sophomore guard Kendall Dunham and junior forward Michaela O’Neil.
Hopkins put the game to bed with a huge run in the middle of the third quarter. With 7:30 remaining in the quarter, the Mules pulled themselves to within 11, with the score being 41-30.
The Blue Jays then proceeded to go on a 12-4 run over the next two and a half minutes, extending the lead to 19 and all but ending the contest. Miller knocked in two scores during the run including capping off the run with a fastbreak three-pointer to force a timeout from the Mules.
Both offenses went relatively cold in the fourth as the Blue Jays cushioned their lead slightly, finishing the game with a comfortable 22-point margin of victory.
Early season success
The Blue Jays have gotten off to a great start this season racing out to an impressive 6-1 record. Hopkins began their season with a 69-56 victory over Washington University. The second game of the season was the only blemish on the Blue Jays’ record as Hopkins suffered a 52-72 defeat to No. 2 ranked New York University. Hopkins then bounced back with a 74-63 home win over Marymount University.
Last season, Hopkins entered the Centennial Conference tournament as the top seed but fell to Gettysburg College, who emerged as Centennial Conference champions. However, Hopkins got off on the right foot this season, beating Gettysburg in their first conference match-up of the year in a tough-fought 66-63 victory. The Blue Jays then made quick work of the next three conference opponents — beating McDaniel 73-50, Bryn Mawr 67-39 and, of course, Muhlenberg 77-55.
The Blue Jays’ win over Muhlenberg extends their winning streak to five games, the last four of which have been against Centennial Conference opponents. With their 4-0 conference record, the Blue Jays stand alone atop the Centennial Conference standings.
Up next
Hopkins has two more games to close out their first round of conference play. The Blue Jays will first travel to Lancaster, Pa. to take on the 3-3 Franklin and Marshall Diplomats on Wednesday, Dec. 6 and then come home to face off against the 4-1 Dickinson Red Devils, who are currently in second place in the Centennial Conference, on Saturday, Dec. 9.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.