W. Basketball to host Centennial

The Hopkins women's
basketball team closed out
the regular season playing
host to visiting Bryn
Mawr last Thursday. The
0-23 Owls were no match
for the 25th-ranked Jays,
as Hopkins pummeled the
Owls, 74-26, improving to
21-3 overall and 17-3 in the
Centennial Conference.
The game was close for
only the first 30 seconds
when the score was tied 2-2
before the Blue Jays pulled
away with a 15-0 scoring
run. By the time the first
half buzzer sounded, the
Blue Jays were walking
into the locker room with a
37-10 lead.
Junior forward Alex
Vassila led all scorers, tallying
16 points in just 18
minutes, the only player
to record double-digit
points. Vassila showed off
her complete game by also
grabbing seven rebounds,
dishing out two assists and
adding one steal.
While Hopkins may
not have had many individual
high scorers, they
definitely knew how to fill
the box score as a team. Senior
guard Stephanie Fong,
sophomore Katie Brooks
and freshman classmates
Jessica Brown and Ciara
McCullagh all added eight
points of their own.
Senior guards Kat Fox
and Chantel Mattiola, junior
KaraLea Follmer and sophomore
Fatu Conteh also
scored six points each. Fong
led the game with four steals
to go with her eight points,
while Mattiola dropped off
eight assists, and Brooks
added two blocks.
Hopkins shot 45.8 percent
from the field on the
game but struggled at the
free throw line, shooting
just 55 percent.
In the second half, Hopkins
continued to add to
their impressive lead. Forcing
turnovers and playing
stifling defense, the Blue
Jays were able to capitalize
on a fantastic game plan
to score a number of fast
break points. Rolling over
the already demoralized
Owls, Hopkins led by 48
points by the time the final
buzzer sounded.
Dominating the rebounding
battle 50-21, the
Blue Jays also held Bryn
Mawr to just 22.9 percent
shooting from the field.
After clinching the regular
season title, the Lady
Jays will host the Centennial
Conference Championship
tournament this coming
Friday, Feb. 24.
The women's team
put together a fabulous
year, twice going on win
streaks of more than five
games, while their three
losses were all by fewer
than 10 points. Routinely
outscoring opponents and
outhustling teams on the
floor, the Blue Jays look set
to make a powerful run
deep into the Centennial
Conference Tournament
and NCAA playoffs.