BALTIMORE, MD – On a day when Johns Hopkins senior Michaela O'Neil needed just 12 points to become the 17^th player in Johns Hopkins women's basketball history to reach 1,000 career points, she scored a career-high 23.  The #19/#20 Blue Jays needed virtually every one of them to hold off Ursinus, 66-60, for their ninth straight win – a win that officially locked up a spot in the upcoming Centennial Conference Tournament for JHU.
 
O'Neil had six points in the first quarter, 10 at the break and reached the magical 1,000-point mark on a driving layup midway through the third quarter that ignited what proved to be a decisive run for the Blue Jays.
 
In a game the Blue Jays (19-3, 10-1 CC) led for all but 15 seconds, there was never a level of comfort for head coach Rodney Rogan and his team as the Bears (14-8, 8-4) stayed within striking distance throughout.
 
The Blue Jays led 18-12 after shooting 7-of-14 (.500) from the floor in the opening quarter and extended the lead to a game-high 11 early in the second quarter when junior Macie Feldman bookended a 7-0 spurt with a three-pointer and pull-up jumper.  Johns Hopkins held the lead to at least seven for more than six minutes after Feldman's jumper and maintained the seven-point lead at half (36-29) on the strength of the 10 first-half points from O'Neil, seven from Feldman and six from Beth Corelli.
 
The Bears whittled the lead to three midway through the third quarter (41-38) after Colleen Blackman splashed home a three-pointer and Ava Possenti followed with a layup 40 seconds later.
 
O'Neil answered the Possenti layup with her 1,000^th career point on a layup that sparked a 10-2 Blue Jay run that she later capped with one of her two three-pointers on the day that gave the Blue Jays a 51-40 lead.  The Blue Jays would eventually carry a 55-47 lead into the final period after the Bears ended the quarter with a late Madison Smith jumper.
 
Neither team could really get the offense going in a fourth quarter that saw the Bears outscore the Blue Jays 13-11, but never get closer than five.  Smith hit a pair of free throws to make it 63-58 with 1:28 to play and later added a layup with 44 ticks on the clock to make it 65-60, but the Blue Jay defense held tight down the stretch to seal the victory.
 
O'Neil, who also became the 11^th player in school history with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds with her effort today, recorded her third 20-point game in the last five outings and bettered her previous career high of 22 points, which scored in a 60-53 overtime victory at Dickinson on January 29.
 
Kendall Dunham added 11 points and Feldman chipped in with nine points and seven rebounds.  Greta Miller added six points, eight rebounds and six steals in the win.
 
Ursinus got 19 points and eight rebounds from Chinwe Irondi, 19 points from Possenti and 11 points from Smith.  The 60 points the Bears scored are the most Johns Hopkins has allowed since December 2.
 
Johns Hopkins will return to action on Wednesday, February 12 when the Blue Jays travel to McDaniel to take on the Green Terror (6 pm).