Nov. 19, 2005

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - Senior Amanda Leese scored 11 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and made a steal with three seconds remaining to help the Johns Hopkins women's basketball team escape the first game of the Blue Jay Invitational with a 45-42 win over visiting Carnegie Mellon. The Blue Jays (1-0) trailed the Tartans (0-1) by 10 points at the half before rallying in the second period for their 16th consecutive season-opening victory.

Johns Hopkins now faces Rhodes, which defeated York 69-54 today, in the tournament's championship game tomorrow at 3 pm. Carnegie Mellon meets York in the consolation game at 1 pm. The Blue Jays have advanced to the championship game of the Blue Jay Invitational, their traditional season-opening event, all 15 years and have won nine titles including the last two (2003, 2004).

Hopkins started its first game of the season slowly, scoring just 14 points off 19 percent (4-21) shooting and committing 18 turnovers in the first half. Carnegie Mellon wasn't much better offensively as it totaled 17 first-half turnovers but used aggressive defense to pull ahead by as many as 14 points and finish the period with a 24-14 lead.

Freshmen Stacie Aleski and Gemma Easterling combined for 19 of the Tartans' 24 points, while Leese and junior Julie Miller scored 12 of the Blue Jays' 14 first-half points. Leese led all players with five rebounds, but Carnegie Mellon held a 23-19 advantage on the boards.

The Blue Jays, who defeated the Tartans 82-60 last season, came out of the break with everything to prove. Senior Katie Kimball ignited Hopkins on both ends of the floor, recording a block, two steals, two free throws, a three-pointer, and an assist in the first three minutes to help the Blue Jays creep within one, 27-26, at 16:55. Leese's layup at 16:10 gave Hopkins the 28-27 edge, its first lead since midway through the first half.

With the momentum, Johns Hopkins built its lead to seven points, 38-31, with 9:57 remaining behind four consecutive free throws by Miller and classmate Haley Wojdowski. But Carnegie Mellon never relented, scoring six straight points to trim the Blue Jay lead to one point, 38-37, with just under six minutes to play.

After a Leese jumper and a free throw by Aleski, Tartan freshmen Rachel Roll tied the game for the last time at 40-40 with 2:35 remaining. Senior Katie O'Malley immediately answered with a three-pointer, her only field goal of the game, for the 43-40 Johns Hopkins lead. Aleski brought Carnegie Mellon back within one with a layup at 1:33 before Easterling put Kimball on the foul line in Hopkins' final possession. Kimball missed both free throws to give the Tartans a last chance to tie or win, but Leese made a steal with three seconds remaining to end Carnegie Mellon's hopes.

Johns Hopkins finished with a 53-45 advantage on the boards but shot just 20.7 percent from the field and committed 26 turnovers, while Carnegie Mellon shot 27.3 percent and had 30 turnovers. Aleski led all scorers with 19 points to go along with a team-high three assists, and Easterling finished with 11 points and four rebounds.

In addition to Leese's double-double for Johns Hopkins, Miller added 13 points and six boards and Kimball totaled nine points, five rebounds, four assists, six steals, and three blocks.