COLLEGEVILLE, PA – The No. 4/4 Johns Hopkins women's basketball team set the tone early by dominating the offensive glass, as the Blue Jays defeated Ursinus, 84-72, Saturday afternoon inside Helfferich Hall.
Kendall Dunham sealed the victory in the fourth quarter by knocking down Hopkins' only two three-pointers of the game, propelling the Blue Jays to their 20
th straight win—a Centennial Conference record for longest winning streak. The victory lifts Hopkins to 20-0 overall and 11-0 in conference play, keeping the Blue Jays among the nation's four remaining unbeaten Division III teams.
Macie Feldman sparked a seven-point run with an and-one to give Hopkins an early 9-2 lead in the opening quarter. Ursinus continued to battle, trimming the deficit to five before Dunham beat the buzzer to send the Blue Jays into the first break with a 17-10 advantage. Hopkins' size proved troublesome throughout the frame, as the Blue Jays held a commanding 12-4 edge in offensive rebounds.
Hopkins pushed its lead to double digits early in the second quarter, but Ursinus responded with a surge to pull within two, 22-20.
Stephanie Theodossakos briefly swung the momentum back in the Blue Jays' favor with an offensive rebound putback, though the Bears continued their push. With Ursinus cutting the lead to one possession midway through the quarter, Dunham converted a steal into a five-point swing, extending the Hopkins lead to 35-27 with 2:47 remaining.
Lauren Knudson capped the half by pushing the advantage to seven, 41-34, heading into the break. At halftime, the Blue Jays owned a decisive 19-4 advantage on the offensive glass.
The teams traded baskets through much of the third quarter before Feldman extended the Hopkins lead to 11 with 1:33 remaining. Ursinus'
Madison Smith answered with a three-pointer to trim the deficit to eight, but the Blue Jays carried a 58-50 lead into the final period.
Dunham opened the fourth quarter by draining the Blue Jays' first three-pointer of the game, sparking a five-point run and extending the lead to 10. She followed with her second triple of the quarter to push the advantage to 13—Hopkins' largest lead to that point. The Blue Jays stretched the margin to as many as 17 before closing out the 84-72 victory and securing the program's historic 20
th consecutive win.
Dunham paced Hopkins with 20 points, four steals, four rebounds and an assist while going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Knudson (15),
Emily Collins (13) and Feldman (12) also scored in double figures. Collins added a game-high nine rebounds, including seven on the offensive end.
Johns Hopkins returns to action on Wednesday, February 11, when it hosts McDaniel inside Goldfarb Gymnasium for a blackout game. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m.
