BRIDGEWATER, PA – The eighth-ranked Johns Hopkins women's basketball team opened the Bridgewater Invitational with a statement win on Saturday evening, rolling past No. 19 Catholic, 73-49, inside Nininger Hall, improving to 4-0 on the season. A decisive 19-9 second quarter swung the momentum firmly toward the Blue Jays, who never relinquished control the rest of the way.
Grace Soltes set the early tone, scoring five of Hopkins' first seven points to keep the game even at 7-7 through the opening four minutes. Catholic responded with a 10-2 run to close the first quarter and carried a 17-11 lead into the second.
Hopkins quickly erased that deficit. Trailing 26-21 with three minutes left in the half,
Jocelyn Goldstein strung together four straight points, and
Kendall Dunham followed with a layup to give the Blue Jays their first lead since the opening minutes. With the defense locking in, Hopkins turned a late steal by Dunham into points as
Macie Feldman finished in transition, sending the Jays into halftime with a 30-26 advantage.
The Blue Jays came out of the break firing. A 7-0 run to start the third quarter—capped by a
Lauren Knudson three—pushed the lead to double digits. Knudson added another triple late in the period as Hopkins extended the margin to 12 entering the fourth.
The final quarter belonged entirely to the Blue Jays. After allowing the first basket of the frame, Hopkins strung together another seven-point burst, punctuated by a Dunham three-pointer that stretched the lead to 17. From there, the offense continued to click as
Beth Corelli and
Aria Mazza knocked down jumpers to close out the win.
Dunham led all scorers with 16 points on an ultra-efficient 7-of-8 shooting (2-of-3 from deep). Goldstein added 13 points and six rebounds, while Feldman delivered a standout all-around performance with a game-high 12 boards, six points, three assists and a block. Defensively, Goldstein and Soltes anchored the interior with two blocks apiece.
Hopkins returns to action on Sunday, November 16, for a top-20 showdown with No. 20 Christopher Newport in the finale of the Bridgewater Classic. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m.
