Feb. 20, 2013

Box Score

Baltimore, MD - Junior Fatu Conteh blocked a potential game tying 3-pointer and knocked down the ensuing free throws to ice a 64-59 win for the Johns Hopkins women's basketball team against Haverford in the first round of the Centennial Conference Tournament Wednesday. The Blue Jays will square off against top-seeded Gettysburg on Friday at 6:00 pm in the semi-finals.

Senior Alex Vassila was dominant inside, posting 16 points and 14 rebounds, while freshman Liz Tommasi scored 14 points as the Blue Jays rallied for the victory. Hopkins (16-10) took advantage of an overly aggressive Haverford defense, and made 23 free throw shots in the contest.

Trailing by as many as 11 points early in the second half, Hopkins took the lead, 41-40, at the 9:20 mark after mounting a game-changing 10-0 run. The rally was sparked by three consecutive Tommasi steals which led to five straight points from the young point guard.

Haverford (15-10) stormed back with consecutive 3-pointers by Elizabeth Lynch, but sophomore Jessica Brown knocked down eight straight points - including two 3-pointers of her own - to give the Jays a 54-50 lead with 4:08 to play. Brown finished with a season-high 10 points in the effort.

After both sides traded points, Vassila collected an offensive rebound with 2:54 to play and finished a lay-up to give the home side a 58-53 lead. The Fords did not give up, however, and cut the Hopkins lead to one, 60-59, after two free throws from Calla Miller and a lay-up by Dominique Meeks with 1:21 to play. Maggie Fruehan then extended the JHU lead to 62-59 at the 57-second mark.

Tommasi had an opportunity to shut the door on the game from the free throw line with 24 seconds left, but missed both shots. The subsequent sequence led to the play of the game, when Conteh emphatically blocked Jacquelyne Pizzuto's bid to tie the game from beyond the arc.

The Blue Jays jumped out to an early lead in the first half, 11-5, after Vassila finished an old-fashioned 3-point play and Stacy Fairey drove through the Ford defense for a beautiful lay-up. Hopkins' good fortunes came to an end, however, as it scored just one point in the half's final 6:55. The drought allowed Haverford to surge past the Jays for a 29-21 halftime advantage.

Meeks finished with 16 points and seven boards for the Fords, while Miller and Lynch combined for 20 points.

Hopkins split with Gettysburg during the regular season, taking the second meeting at home, 47-40. The Bullets won the first match-up in Gettysburg, 54-48. The Blue Jays, 17-12 all-time in the Centennial Conference Tournament, have never faced the Bullets in conference tournament play.

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