Jan. 2, 2014

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - The Johns Hopkins women's basketball team started off the New Year with a 67-58 victory over Eastern Mennonite University Thursday evening. Four Hopkins players finished in double figures including senior Fatu Conteh, who tallied 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and block on the night. Juniors Haley Bush and Maggie Fruehan both chipped in 13 points, while sophomore Katie Clarke posted 12 points and two steals to help the Blue Jays win their fourth straight. JHU outrebounded the Royals 47-36 in the game, with a 22-10 advantage on the offensive glass.

Hopkins took control of the contest towards the end of the first half, as they began building on a slim 18-17 lead. The Jays went on a 7-0 run, sparked in part by Fruehan's plays on both ends of the court. The Clarks Summit, PA native finished a three-point play after being fouled underneath on a layup with 6:10 remaining, then immediately forced a steal on the other end. After creating the turnover, Fruehan took a pass from sophomore Liz Tommasi off the fast break and hit another layup, giving her team a 25-17 advantage.

JHU played sound defensively throughout the night, and especially in the first half. The Blue Jays held the Royals to only 29.6% shooting in the opening period and 1-7 from beyond the arc, taking a 32-26 lead into the locker room.

The Blue Jays had their largest lead of the night with 12:43 left to play in the second, after a Fruehan layup gave Hopkins a 51-34 edge. Eastern Mennonite made a few runs to cut the deficit, and were only down seven after two free throws from Steph Rheinheimer made it 55-48. However, the Royals' leading scorer Bianca Ygarza fouled out with 4:02 left in the contest and was forced to sit after posting a game-high 19 points. Eastern Mennonite only made one field goal for the rest of night in her absence.

Hopkins played conservative down the stretch, breaking through the EMU pressure and burning time off the clock. The Jays remained patient to take good shots and converted opportunities from the charity stripe to seal the victory.

The Blue Jays will embark on their furthest road trip of the season when the team travels to face Emory University in Atlanta GA on January 4. The #10 Eagles are undefeated this season (10-0) and will serve as the final non-conference matchup for the Blue Jays.

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