On Thursday, Feb. 4, the Lady Jays took on the Bryn Mawr College Owls in another non-Conference matchup.
Hopkins entered the game with an overall record of 8-10 and a Conference record of 5-6. They were able to improve their overall record with a substantial win.
In the first quarter, Hopkins got on the board first when junior Caroline Corcoran made a layup in the eighth minute with an assist from senior Liz Tommasi.
The Lady Jays kept up the scoring throughout the first half as seniors Beatriz Williams and Tomassi, juniors Rachel Cook and Janay Smith and freshmen Lexie Scholtz and Sophia Way all put points on the board.
Hopkins only allowed their opponent to score nine points in the first quarter, ending with a score of 19-9.
In the second quarter, Hopkins managed to completely surpass the Owls, scoring 27 points and only giving up four points. Senior Katie Clark, freshman Madison McGrath and freshman Marissa Varnado added points to the board for the Jays, sealing their win.
The ‘Dynamic Duo,’ as Corcoran and Cook are referred to, were on fire in the first half, constantly playing off each other and working well together to help Hopkins come out with a win.
Hopkins came out in the start of the third quarter well ahead of the Owls and looked to increase the margin of their win in the second half.
Although the starters eventually were pulled out of the game, the rest of the team kept up the scoring and aggressive level of play to get them to a final score of 87-29.
With this confidence, the men’s team went into their next game against the Muhlenberg College Mules.
The Jays faced the Mules, the No. 1 team in the Centennial Conference, on Feb. 6 in Allentown, Pa. After a grueling match, Hopkins was unable to come away with a win.
The first quarter started out rocky since Muhlenburg was the first to get points on the board. Hopkins answered back when Cook scored a jumper in the sixth minute. Muhlenberg, however, created a decent margin until freshman Sophia Way started a scoring streak for Hopkins, leading them to finish the first quarter only three points behind Muhlenburg at 16-13.
In the second quarter, Muhlenburg came out strong again, getting on the board first, continuing to increase their lead and keeping it the entire second quarter. Despite efforts from the Blue Jays, the first half ended with an even larger separation in the score with Muhlenberg leading 41-30.
The second half opened with the dynamic duo, junior Corcoran and Cook, coming out strong. Corcoran made both foul shots in the first minute of the third quarter and continued to add to Hopkins’ efforts with a three-pointer in the ninth minute. Junior Janay Smith, senior Beatriz Williams, Corcoran and Cook all added points in the third quarter but never managed to take the lead from Muhlenberg, although they did manage to decrease Muhlenberg’s lead to a score of 50-43.
In the fourth quarter, Corcoran got the Blue Jays on the board in the first minute of the quarter. However, the efforts weren’t enough for Hopkins to come away with a win. They were unable to ever get the lead from Muhlenberg but put in a great team effort. This put the Blue Jays seventh in the Centennial Conference, with a Conference record of 6-7 and an overall record of 9-11.
