Jan. 16, 2012

Box Score

ALLENTOWN, PA - The Johns Hopkins women's basketball team captured sole possession of first place in the Centennial Conference as the Blue Jays handed 14th-ranked Muhlneberg just its second loss of the season and second-straight with a 76-67 win inside Memorial Hall Monday evening in a rematch of the 2011 conference championship game.

With 11:04 to go in the first half, junior Alex Vassila grabbed an offensive board and put it back up to give the Blue Jays (13-2, 8-2 CC) a slim 24-23 and their sixth lead of the half, one they would not surrender. Over the next 8:00, the Blue Jays used a 16-4 run to push their lead to 40-27 and take control of the half with just 3:29 to play.

The Mules (12-2, 7-2 CC) mounted a final comeback in the half and outscored the Blue Jays 9-6 over the final minutes to cut the Blue Jay lead to 10 points at 46-36, but could not overtake the Blue Jays before the buzzer.

The Blue Jays used a 10-8 run over the first 5:35 of the second half capped by a free throw form sophomore Fatu Conteh to push their lead to 12 points, 56-44 with 14:25 to play. With 9:03 to play, Hopkins scored seven unanswered points, including four from senior Stephanie Fong and a three from classmate Chantel Mattiola, and took a 15-point lead, its largest lead of the game. The Blue Jays used 11 good free throws in the final 2:45 to hold off the Mules in an exciting finish. The Mules outscored the Blue Jays 12-11 in those final minutes, but the Blue Jay defense kept the Mules in check and did not allow the Mules to establish comeback.

Vassila had her second double-double of the season as she had a game-high 10 rebounds and chipped in 10 points. Fong led the Blue Jays with 13 points and handed out five assists. Fong was also 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Mattiola poured in 11 points and handed out a game-high six assists. Mattiola was 2-of-5 from beyond the arc.

The Blue Jays shot 44 percent from the field (20-for-55) and held the Mules to 37.3 percent shooting (22-for-59). Hopkins held the advantage in rebounding, 47-27, and points off the bench, 30-23. Freshman Haley Bush led the Blue Jays with seven points off the bench.

The Blue Jays return to the court on Thursday, January 19 when they travel to Bryn Mawr to cap off a three-game road swing against the Owls. Tipoff is set for 7 pm.