LANCASTER, PA – The No. 5/5 Johns Hopkins women's basketball team erupted from beyond the arc in the second half, outscoring Franklin & Marshall 41-14 after halftime to roll to a 74-44 victory on Saturday afternoon inside the Mayser Center. The win marks Hopkins' 24th straight over the Diplomats—including 17 consecutive at Mayser—and lifts the Blue Jays to 14-0 overall and 5-0 in Centennial Conference play, keeping them among the nation's seven remaining unbeaten Division III teams.
After conceding the game's first four points,
Grace Soltes jumpstarted a 9-0 Hopkins run with a three-pointer to give the Blue Jays a five-point edge. Another 8-0 burst, capped by a
Layla Henderson layup in the final 2:30 of the opening quarter, pushed the lead to 23-13. Hopkins opened the game shooting an efficient 9-of-14 from the field.
Kendall Dunham extended the margin to 25-13 early in the second quarter, but Franklin & Marshall responded with a strong stretch, shooting 8-of-12 over a 6:22 span. The Diplomats forced three Hopkins turnovers during a 17-4 run to erase the deficit and take a 30-29 lead—their first since the opening minutes. Dunham and Henderson each converted a pair of free throws late to restore control, sending the Blue Jays into halftime with a 33-30 advantage.
Hopkins seized momentum coming out of the break as
Macie Feldman and
Lauren Knudson buried back-to-back three-pointers to open the third quarter. Additional triples from
Faith Williamson, Dunham and Feldman capped a dominant frame, pushing the lead to 54-40 entering the fourth. The Blue Jays went 5-of-6 from long range in the quarter.
This time, Hopkins left no doubt. Knudson opened the final frame with her second three-pointer of the afternoon, and the Blue Jays continued to pour it on, outscoring the Diplomats 20-4 in the quarter to secure their 14
th consecutive victory.
Dunham led all scorers with 13 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Williamson (12 points), Feldman (11) and Knudson (10) also finished in double figures, combining to shoot 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. Feldman added a game-high seven rebounds and three steals.
Johns Hopkins returns to action on Wednesday, January 21, traveling to Westminster, MD to face McDaniel at the Gill Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
