Feb. 8, 2005

Box Score

WESTMINSTER, MD - Senior Alissa Burkholder (Allentown, PA/Salisbury) scored 17 of her career-high 19 points in the second half and extra period, and sophomore Julie Miller (Annandale, VA/Thomas Jefferson) hit a jumper with 30 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Johns Hopkins women's basketball team an 81-80 win over conference and state rival McDaniel at the Gill Center. The Blue Jays (17-4, 12-2 Centennial Conference) and Green Terror (19-3, 13-2) split their regular-season series for the fifth straight year.

The game, which was the first overtime match for both teams this season, was tied 79-79 with a minute remaining in the extra period before McDaniel's Kristy Costa hit a free throw to put the Green Terror ahead by one. Junior Katie O'Malley (Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown) found Miller open at the foul line for the go-ahead basket in the next possession, and the Blue Jays shut out the Green Terror for the final 30 seconds.

Hopkins' win over McDaniel was the first in the last three meetings, including a 77-59 loss last month and a 59-57 loss in the conference tournament last year. The Blue Jays had not defeated the Terror on its home court since the 2000-01 season, and their win tonight broke a 20-game home winning streak and 15-game overall streak by McDaniel.

Johns Hopkins entered halftime with a 34-31 edge after a 10-0 run to end the period but McDaniel regained its lead, 41-39, just five minutes into the second half. Heather Thompson scored on two post moves to pace the Terror.

Burkholder scored seven of Hopkins' first 10 points to keep the Blue Jays alive before a steal and a layup from Felix put them within one, 46-45, with 12 minutes to play.

From there, six McDaniel players scored in a 12-2 run that resulted in a nine-point Terror lead, 57-48, with 8:30 remaining, but Johns Hopkins showed even better teamwork in its rally to follow.

With Hopkins trailing by its largest margin of the night, senior captains Ashanna Randall (Media, PA/Media) and Ashley Felix (Pittsburgh, PA/North Catholic) did the dirty work in the paint and at the point to set up shots for Burkholder and sophomore Whitney Davis (Scarsdale, NY/Scarsdale), who scored 10 of her 15 points in the final eight minutes of regulation.

The Blue Jays crept within one, 67-66, with 1:59 remaining before Brooke Weimer hit two free throws with 25 seconds remaining to make it a three-point game.

After a Hopkins timeout, Burkholder found Davis open on the arc, where the sophomore sunk the game-tying three.

A Burkholder three-pointer and back-to-back layups from sophomore Tamera Means (McDonough, GA/Eagle Landing) kicked off the extra period but McDaniel shot 7 for 10 from the line in the extra period to make it a one possession game and set up Miller for the game-winner.

Four Blue Jays finished in double figures as Miller and Means added 13 and 12 points to Burkholder's 19 and Davis' 15. Randall led all players with 13 rebounds, including nine on the defensive boards, and she added four points, four assists and two steals. Felix had nine points, six assists, four steals and no turnovers in 38 minutes at the point.

Sophomore Haley Wojdowski (Mars, PA/Mars Area) added five points, three rebounds and three assists while starting in place of injured junior Katie Kimball (Garden City, NY/Garden City).

Kelly Cramp and Thompson finished with 20 and 17 points respectively for the Green Terror. McDaniel shot 49 percent from the floor, 62 percent from long range and 76 percent from the foul line, and outrebounded the Blue Jays 46-35 but had 22 turnovers to just 14 by Hopkins. The Jays shot 41 percent from the field, 33 percent from the arc and 52 percent from the charity stripe.

Johns Hopkins returns to action this Saturday, Feb. 12 at home against Haverford. The game begins at 4 p.m. following a brief ceremony to honor seniors Burkholder, Felix and Randall.