The Basics
• Score: Johns Hopkins-40, Gettysburg-43
• Records: JHU (22-4) • Gettysburg (23-3)
• Location: Gettysburg, PA • Bream Gymnasium
• The Short Story: The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays fell in a classic Centennial Championship to Gettysburg on Saturday evening, 43-40. 
 
How it Happened
Two of the top defensive teams in Division III squared off in Saturday evening's Centennial Championship with Gettysburg coming out victorious. 

The defensive effort did not disappoint in the first half with Johns Hopkins holding a slim 16-15 halftime advantage. Both teams shot just 22 percent from the floor in the half. 

The Bullets used a 10-2 run to lead it by four at the end of one. Jadyn Murray scored the first four points of the contest, but the Blue Jay offense was held scoreless for a stretch of nearly eight minutes, allowing the Bullets to make a run. With 4:41 left in the period, the Bullets took the lead on free throws from Tournament MVP Mackenzie Tinner. After extending it to 8-4, Diarra Oden scored her first bucket of the game to end the scoring drought. 

In the second quarter, it was essentially the opposite, with Hopkins outscoring the Bullets 10-5 to take a one-point halftime lead. Leading 10-6 to start the period, Tinner scored 12 seconds in to make it a six-point game. Hopkins answered with a 7-0 run to take a 13-12 lead, its first since 4-2. Greta Miler, Erin Walsh and Oden all scored buckets to tie it at 12 before Walsh hit a free throw to give Hopkins the lead. Gettysburg briefly retook the lead with 2:05 to play in the half, but Kara Milliken drilled a three late in the half to make it 16-14. The Bullets would add a free throw to make it 16-15 at the break. 

The teams traded baskets early in the third with the Jays extending the lead after four straight free throws made it 22-17 with 7:01 left in the third. Moments later, Walsh scored four straight points to push the Hopkins lead to 10, its largest of the game, at 27-17. The Bullets scored seven in-a-row before Michaela O'Neil ended the drought to give Hopkins a 29-24 lead with 2:41 left in the third. Oden scored four more in the quarter and so did the Bullets as the Jays took a 33-28 lead into the fourth. 

Gettysburg cut into the lead, chipping it down to 34-32 with seven minutes remaining. A Walsh free throw made the lead 35-32, but Tinner cut it to one with 5:05 to play. With 4:11 remaining, Murray scored a big bucket off a find from Walsh and the Jays lead was 37-34. Gettysburg answered with four straight, retaking a 38-37 lead with 2:26 remaining. The Jays cut it back to two after an O'Neil three with 18 ticks left, but O'Neil's game-tying effort with mere seconds left rimmed out and the Bullets held onto a 43-40 win. 
 
What it Means
• The Jays fall short in search of a fifth Centennial Tournament title, but were able to reach a 15th Championship game, the most in Centennial history. 
 
• Johns Hopkins' appearance in the tournament is its 24^th since the formation of the Centennial Conference in 1993-94. Only Muhlenberg (25) has made more appearances in the tournament than Johns Hopkins.
 
Inside the Box Score
• Oden & Walsh combined for 21 of the team's 40 points. 
 
• Despite suffering an ankle injury late in Friday night's contest, freshman Greta Miller battled through pain to provide the Jays with 18 strong minutes, scoring two points, grabbing four boards and registering a steal and a block. 
 
• The Blue Jay defense limited Gettysburg to just 29% shooting in the contest (15-51), including holding the Bullets without a three-point make. 
 
• Tinner had 16 points and five rebounds for the Bullets, earning Conference Tournament MVP Honors.
 
Up Next
• JHU will await its fate on Monday afternoon when the Division III bracket is revealed.