Feb. 5, 2009

Box Score

Lancaster, PA - In a battle for Centennial Conference supremacy, Johns Hopkins got the best of Franklin & Marshall on the road after a clash in the Mayser Center in Lancaster, PA on Thursday night, earning a 66-64 victory. The Blue Jays got the ultimate revenge on the Diplomats after suffering a two-point loss in their last meeting on December 2. Franklin & Marshall's Sarah Meisenberg hit two free throws with four seconds left to claim the victory in December but this time it was senior Kristin Phillips who hit from the charity stripe with seven seconds left to take the lead and earn the win.

Johns Hopkins improves to 10-10 on the season and 8-5 in the Centennial Conference, moving into a five-way knot for second place in the league. The Diplomats move to 11-9 on the season and 8-5 in the Centennial.

A 12-3 run to open the game gave JHU a nine-point lead early. A 3-pointer by Beth Holt ignited an F&M comeback, tying it at 20 at 6:12. A five-minute scoring drought for JHU ended with an 11-3 run by the Blue Jays to end the half with a 33-25 advantage, fueled by a 3-pointer by Caitlin Sloane and back-to-back buckets by Siobhan Callanan.

Phillips had 11-first half points on 6-of-6 shooting from the free throw line.

The Diplomats secured an 8-2 run to open the half. The Blue Jays held the lead for the majority of the second half, holding F&M until the 35-second mark.

Phillips fueled the Blue Jay offense in the second half, scoring 16 points in the second half alone. The senior hit two 3-pointers and went 6-for-7 from the free throw line in the second half.

With 34.9 seconds left, Meisenberg was sent to the line for two shots. Meisenberg hit the first free throw but missed the second. Franklin & Marshall's Megan Pauley fouled Kristin Phillips, putting her on the free throw line with seven seconds remaining. After sinking both, JHU went up 66-64.

The Diplomats brought the ball up the court and tried to launch a 3-pointer, which was blocked in the air by Lyndsay Burton as the buzzer sounded. Hopkins had claimed the last-second victory.

Phillips led Hopkins with a career-high 27 points, including three 3-pointers and a 12-for-13 outing from the free throw line. Phillips also grabbed 15 rebounds for the double-double. Sophomore Siobhan Callanan continued her double-figure scoring streak, hitting five field goals to finish with 10 points and eight rebounds, a career-high. Freshman Stephanie Fong scored eight points after hitting two 3-pointers, a career-first.

The Blue Jays return to Baltimore to host Haverford on Saturday for Alumni Day. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.