By GAB RUSSO For The News-Letter
The unranked women’s basketball team lost 49-38 to the fifth-ranked New York University (NYU) Violets this past Saturday in a hard fought game.
“We went into the game with the mindset that this was just another game against any normal team,” said junior guard Caroline Corcoran, “We knew how hard we had prepared for this team and we were confident in what we stood for and how we play our game.”
The Lady Jays started off the game strong, matching points with the Violets. As the second quarter started to get under way, the Violets pulled ahead on a strong run, putting the Lady Jays in a rough deficit. The Lady Jays ended the second quarter down by nine as they headed into halftime. The starters returned to the court at the beginning of the third quarter.
However, the Lady Jays struggled with getting things going. The Violets continued their offensive dominance by scoring two quick layups and a jumper, successfully putting NYU 15 points above the Lady Jays.
Hopkins head coach Nancy Funk realized there needed to be some changes to the line up and quickly subbed in junior forward Rachel Cook for junior Janay Smith and freshmen guard Lexie Scholtz for senior Katie Clark.
Cook had a forceful block at the six-minute mark, sparking a run for Hopkins. After two made free throws from senior Bea Williams, the score was now within 13. An assist from Scholtz to Cook sparked an eight point run from Cook to put the Lady Jays within five. Cook then hit a layup, followed by a jumpshot, a layup and yet another jumpshot at the 0:25 mark to bring the Lady Jays’ scoring to an end for the third quarter.
As the fourth quarter began, Coach Funk put the starters back in, which would prove to be a fatal mistake for Hopkins. NYU scored six quick points against the Lady Jays’s starting five, and the Violets brought the total deficit to 16 before any substitutions were made for Hopkins. By the time the substitutions had warmed back into the flow of the game, it was much too late because the Violets had confidently gained a solid lead. Although the Jays put up a strong third-quarter run, there was not much left in the fourth quarter for the Jays as they lost 49-38.
“The run at the end of the third really lifted our team and gave us the strength we needed,” Corcoran said. “If we had kept that atmosphere alive through the start of the fourth, that game would have had a much different ending.”
The Lady Jays returned to the action on Tuesday as they took on Centennial Conference rival McDaniel College. The Green Terror started the game strong against the Lady Jays, gaining a double-digit lead of 14 heading into the second half.
Returning to the court, the Lady Jays were unable to bring the score to a closer deficit and ended the third quarter down 15 to the Terror. The fourth quarter proved the same as Hopkins lost 64-51 to McDaniel.
“It is never fun to lose a game on our home court,” Corcoran said, “but it especially hurt being our first conference game at home. We know we are a much better team than how we played. Our shots were not falling and we seemed to just never get into our rhythm. Yes it is early on in our season but a loss is a loss, and it doesn’t feel good. One of my teammates said at the end of the game in the team meeting, ‘Remember how this feels Hop,’ and that resonated with every one of us. We all felt cheated after that loss and we will make sure to never feel like that again.”
