Feb. 19, 2014

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - Sophomore Katie Clark's last second attempt from beyond the arc ricocheted off the back iron, and McDaniel held on to defeat Hopkins 66-63 Wednesday evening. After inbounding the ball with seven seconds remaining, senior Alyssa Fleming found Clark wide open streaking down the right side. Clark took a step back and fired the potential game-tying three-pointer, but it rattled off the rim sealing the victory for the Green Terror. Senior Codi McMaster led McDaniel with 16 points and four assists, while sophomore Liz Tommasi posted a game-high 19 points for the Jays. Hopkins drops to 16-7 (13-4 CC) on the season with the loss, while McDaniel improves to 18-5 (13-4 CC).

Down 39-26 at the start of the second half, Hopkins needed to make up ground quickly to cut into the deficit. The Jays kicked off the half with an 8-2 run, and two made free throws from Tommasi had Hopkins within seven at the 17:14 mark. The teams traded points back and forth before the Green Terror was able to pull ahead once again, going up 52-40 after a three pointer from sophomore Lindsey Nichols capped a 7-0 run.

The Blue Jays continued to hang around, chipping away at the McDaniel lead before Tommasi hit the team's first three pointer of the game at the 4:47 mark to get within three. The Green Terror answered back, hitting consecutive layups at 3:05 and 2:36 to go up 62-55 and force a Hopkins timeout.

McDaniel's poor free throw shooting helped keep Hopkins alive throughout the game, and the Green Terror only finished 10-26 from the charity stripe in the second half. McDaniel was especially cold in the closing minutes, going 1-9 from the line to give Hopkins one last chance to send the game to overtime.

The Blue Jays were hard-pressed to stop the McDaniel offense in the first half, and quickly found themselves behind after the opening tip. The Green Terror built a 21-8 lead on the Blue Jays, using an efficient offense attack and smothering defense to limit Hopkins and force 12 first-half turnovers. McDaniel led by as many as 20 after a free throw from McMaster made it 39-19 with 1:38 remaining. JHU was able to end the half on a positive note with a 7-0 run on two layups and free throw from junior Haley Bush and a Fleming jump shot.

Tonight's game had major implications on the Centennial Conference playoff picture, and the Blue Jays now appear destined for the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the upcoming tournament. McDaniel and Hopkins have equal 13-4 conference records, but the Green Terror hold the advantage after sweeping the season series over JHU. After taking down Ursinus 73-36 this evening, Haverford improved to 14-3 in the CC and will claim the right to host with a win over Swarthmore (13-10, 8-9 CC) on February 22. Hopkins can still earn the top seed with a win against Washington College Saturday and both a Haverford AND McDaniel loss.

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