This past Saturday, the women’s basketball team traveled up to Bryn Mawr, Pa. to face off against the Bryn Mawr College Owls.
The Jays brought an undefeated all-time record against the Owls to the game and looked to right the ship after a shaky loss to Dickinson College the game before.
Junior forward Elise Moore shared the key for getting back on track in Centennial Conference play.
“A big focus for our team is confidence,” she said. “Both having confidence in ourselves and our individual skills, as well as having confidence in trusting our teammates to perform in their roles on the team.”
It seemed as though the team’s confidence was at an all time high to start the game.
A steal by freshman guard Emily Howie on the first possession of the game led to an easy layup by sophomore forward Erin Walsh. From that moment on, the Jays never looked back.
The layup ignited a blistering 14-0 run that lasted for the first five minutes of the first quarter.
Howie caught fire very quickly, hitting three triples in less than a minute of play in the quarter. Her personal offensive barrage raised the lead to 20-2 with close to four minutes left to play in the period.
Another layup by Walsh in the final possession before the buzzer pushed the margin to a commanding 24-4.
The Jays shot with confidence and played with great freedom in the first quarter.
Moore gave some insight into the team’s mentality as the game went on.
“This game was a great opportunity to build our confidence both as individuals and in our team identity,” she said. “We were able to get everybody an opportunity to play and contribute significantly on the offensive end, both of which we achieved!”
The rest of the game personified the ideal of “sharing the wealth,” as a considerable amount of rotation players found success on the offensive end. Moore herself notched a season-high 12 points in just 17 minutes, acting as the beacon of efficiency on offense.
Senior guard and captain Jess Sweeney poured in 10 points, establishing a new career high for herself. Moore shared how her offensive focus shaped her success in this game.
“This game I really worked on letting the shots come within the offense,” she said. “Something that my coach has really instilled in me is not forcing shots or trying to make them for myself. It is best for the easiest and most reliable shots to come within the flow of our offense.”
The game moved on smoothly for the Jays. Even as the Owls scored 10 points in the second quarter — their highest scoring quarter of the game — Hopkins was already too far out of reach.
They scored 17 points of their own, raising the scoring margin to a daunting 27 points.
With the lead continuing to rise at a torrid pace, the Jays became more and more comfortable with each passing minute.
With the comfort and confidence flowing at an all-time high, Hopkins received a boost from their underclassmen. Walsh added 10 points to the scoreboard, as well as notched four rebounds, combining to make a solid game.
Freshman guard Sophie deBettencourt scored a career-high 11 points, adding two rebounds and two assists to her career day.
Howie shot a perfect four-for-four from behind the three point line in the first quarter and finished with 12 points.
Having five scorers in double figures added up very quickly for the Blue Jays, as they ended up beating the Owls by the score of 82-20.
It’s not every day that a team wins by more than 60 points. The team outscored Bryn Mawr 24-2 in the third quarter.
Yes, that’s correct; Bryn Mawr only scored a single basket in an entire 10-minute quarter.
The second quarter was the only quarter where the Owls scored more than two baskets. This game was a true testament to the strength of the Blue Jays’ defense.
Nine Hopkins players logged 10 or more minutes in the game. And sophomore guard Diarra Oden, who is the team’s leading scorer, was able to take it easy this game, only playing six minutes.
Moore gave more insight into how important this dominating win was.
“This game gave us a good start as we finish up our last two weeks of Centennial Conference play,” she said. “It reminded us that we are able to score and hold teams on defense when we have the will and confidence to do so.”
Hopkins will look to carry this positive mindset as they travel to Collegeville, Pa., to face Ursinus College on Saturday.
