On Nov. 30, the Hopkins women’s basketball team paid a trip to Messiah College for a post-Thanksgiving matchup. In a gritty, tough and tight battle, the Lady Jays came up just short dropping the game 70-66. While Hopkins was unsuccessful in claiming the win, the score tells the story of a team that would not give up even when faced with some major adversity.
Needless to say, it was a rough start for Hopkins: The Lady Jays trailed the Falcons 35-22 at halftime. However, during the break, something changed dramatically when the Lady Jays came out for the second half. The team showed great chemistry and refused to accept defeat. As a result of this new found motivation, Hopkins outscored Messiah 43-35 in the second half. Hopkins got off to a blistering start, going on an 11-0 run. The main perpetrator of this rally happened to be senior Fatuh Conteh. Conteh, the leading scorer for Hopkins in the match with 18 points, started the run with a three point play. The lead was cut to 10 thanks to freshman Rachel Cook with just under 11 minutes left to play.
Later, with just over seven minutes left on the clock, Conteh took charge again, bringing the Lady Jays within four of Messiah’s lead, 52-48. With 2:14 left to play, Hopkins knotted the game up at 62. Shortly after, junior forward Haley Bush came through for the Jays, handing them their first advantage of the half. Unfortunately, this was a short-lived lead, as Messiah pulled ahead by four once more. Because of an early 20-8 run by the Falcons, Hopkins was trying to play catchup the entire time.
Sophomore guard Liz Tommasi echoed the thoughts of her teammates by displaying a positive attitude toward the game despite the fact that the Jays suffered the loss. “Well, I think that Saturday’s game against Messiah was a really good test for us,” Tommasi said. “The first half was shaky and not the type of game that we would have liked to be playing. But then in the second half, we came out and executed our offense and defense the way we knew how and proved to ourselves that we are good enough to be on the floor with a team like Messiah, and I think the first half we doubted ourselves.” Tommasi commented on what she thought this game meant for the team going forward. “I think we left that game with more confidence in our team and a better understanding as to what it takes to win and be our best,” she said.
Although the game did not go the way that they wanted it to, the girls were taking the loss in stride. Sophomore point guard Katie Clark echoed Tommasi’s comments on the game and was especially enthused with the second half and the implications they will have going forward. “I thought that in our most recent game against Messiah, we didn’t come out and play our game in the first half,” Clark said. “By the time we settled in and started playing our game in the second half, it was just a little too late. However, I do think that the way we played in the second half is a good indication of our ability as a team to compete with teams of the caliber that we are likely to see in NCAAs. In looking forward, I think that our team has been improving every game and if we continue to work hard we will only improve from here on out.”
The main takeaways from the Messiah game were clear: Performances like the second half will lead to victories against anyone. The Lady Jays showed their ability to bounce back, as they faced off against the Gettysburg Bullets, the defending Centennial Conference champions. Despite being the underdog heading into the game, the Lady Jays rose above all expectations as they astonished the crowd in Goldfarb gym on Tuesday night, defeating the Bullets 69-59. With the victory, Hopkins improved to 5-2 on the season while remaining undefeated at 4-0 in Centennial Conference play.
Four different Lady Jays finished in double digits for points with senior Alyssa Fleming leading the way with 15. Conteh also played a large role in the success of the Jays, as she posted her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The victory marked the fourth in a row for Hopkins in conference play and the Lady Jays show no signs of slowing down.
A key turning point in the game was when Gettysburg came within four points of tying the game with just under five minutes remaining in the game. However, the Jays rallied effectively by going on a 7-0 run to take a 60-49 lead with two and a half minutes remaining in the second half. The Bullets fought hard to get back into the game, but we’re not able to overcome the big deficit.
Despite a tough loss to Messiah, the Lady Jays showed that they were able to put the past behind them effectively by storming past the conference champs. Hopkins will look to carry this momentum into their game today against Swarthmore. The Jays will take the court in Swarthmore, Pa at 6 p.m., as they attempt to keep their unbeaten streak alive within the Centennial Conference.
