The Blue Jays struggled to act with urgency in the first quarter of Saturday’s game, leading to a 86-72 Centennial Conference loss against the Muhlenberg College Mules.
Sophomore forward Marissa Varnado talked about how the offense struggled to get going toward the beginning. “Our shooting percentage was low from the floor but solid from the line.” Varnado said. “We got off to a slow start but fought back a number of times to cut their lead down but never fully overcame that initial deficit. We got some really good plays out of our fast break.”
Within the first three minutes of the game, Hopkins leveled the score at 5-5. Soon after, the Mules powered past the Jays to earn themselves a 23-5 lead. The Blue Jays failed to stop the Mules’ three consecutive three-pointers and were only able to score one field goal in the remainder of the first quarter.
Sophomore guard Lillian Scott led the Jays in the first quarter with four points. Sophomore forward and center Rory Cole also made an early impact, scoring one point and tallying three rebounds in the first quarter.
Hopkins brought more energy in the second quarter than they displayed to open the first. The Blue Jays outscored the Mules 14-6 within the first six minutes of the second quarter.
Muhlenberg’s junior guard Brandi Vallely helped her team bounce back by scoring eight points within the last four minutes of the first half. Despite freshman forward Kenz Wilkinson hitting the final shot of the half, the Mules still led 45-33.
During the third quarter, the Blue Jays stopped the Mules from expanding their lead. Sophomore guard Madison McGrath contributed nine points in the third quarter with a three-pointer, four free-throws, and a lay-up. Muhlenberg’s lead was narrowed to nine by the end of the quarter, with the score being 52-43.
Although Hopkins outscored the Mules 7-6 within the first three minutes of the final quarter, the Mules came back to give themselves a 77-55 lead with less than five minutes on the clock. Out of the game’s 11 final shots, the Jays made seven of them, and Varnado made five.
Despite the Blue Jays’ successful end-of-game performance, their run was not enough to overcome the Mules’ lead. The final score was 86-72.
“Moving forward, this game showed us that we can compete with any team in our Conference, but we have to play the full 40 minutes. We would give them a run for five or seven minutes at a time, but we have to keep that up for four quarters,” Varnado said.
Hopkins had several standout players during the night. Scott and McGrath both recorded 17 points, and Varnado finished with 11. Cole tallied seven rebounds throughout the night, while McGrath made six. Sophomore guard Lexie Scholtz led the team with five assists.
With five freshmen and six sophomores on the roster, Hopkins is a young team.
Despite their lack of experience, the majority of players get significant time on the court, with an average of 10 players going in each game.
“Last season, we definitely had more players that had more experience, and we lost four seniors,” Varnado said. “This year, there is a steep learning curve for the younger players, but the freshmen are working hard and doing well, and the sophomores have some experience to fall back on, and our three senior captains work to keep us all together. It’s definitely different with so many of us being underclassmen, but it’s not a bad thing at all.”
Saturday’s game moves the Jays’ all time record against the Mules to 25-24. Hopkins currently has a 2-2 record in the Centennial Conference, in a four-way tie for fourth.
“We know we can beat any team in the Conference, but no game will be handed to us,” Varnado said. “We know we need to work hard in practice and prepare for each game and take it one step at a time. Overall, we have a very positive outlook for the rest of the season.”
The Jays will return to Goldfarb Gym on Saturday, Dec. 10 to battle against the Dickinson College Red Devils.
