(Carlisle, Pa.) – The Dickinson women's basketball team went right down to the wire with preseason Centennial Conference favorite, Johns Hopkins University on Wednesday night. The Red Devils came out strong and rallied late in the second half before falling, 68-64.
Hopkins struck first and led 4-6 before the Red Devils went on an 11-2 run to pull in front, 15-8, with 12:43 remaining in the first half. Senior Sarah Phillips knocked-down a pair of three-pointers to give Dickinson a 25-18 advantage, at the 6:13 mark.
Hopkins finished the first half with a strong run, pulling in front, 32-31, at the break. The Red Devils matched the Blue Jays with 16 points and in the paint and held a 16-8 scoring advantage off the bench in the first half.
The Blue Jays started to pull away, early in the second half. Three-pointers from Liz Schultz and first-year Myonie Williamson cut the deficit to five, with 15:24 to play.
Hopkins built the lead back to double-figures and matched its largest margin at the 6:13 mark, pulling in front, 62-46. The Red Devils were not quite done yet, however, a made a remarkable comeback in the final minutes.
Sophomore Ellen Bair started the rally with a three-point play. She scored three more times around a three-pointer from Schultz and a pair of lay-ups from Williamson to make the score, 66-60, with 2:10 remaining in regulation.
Mary Martin cleared the boards and scored on the other end, off a great pass from Kelsey Walsh. Schultz repeated the feat, pulling Dickinson within a field-goal, 66-64, with 49 seconds on the clock.
The Devils came up big on defensive end, once again, as Martin pulled the rebound to keep the Devils' hopes alive. Dickinson called a timeout with 12 seconds to play.
Out of the break, Schultz had a solid look at a three-pointer but was just off the mark. Martin battled for the rebound but could not gain possession as the ball went out of bounds to Hopkins. The Devils were forced to foul and Katie Clark converted both free throws with one second left to secure the win.
Schultz led the way for the Red Devils with 14 points while Williamson finished with 13 on the night. Phillips reached double-figures as well with 11 points, adding five rebounds on the night.
Martin tallied nine points, nine rebounds and three assists while Walsh handed out a team-high four assists.
Haley Bush led Johns Hopkins (2-1, 1-0) with a game-high 16 points in 6-of-7 shooting, adding seven rebounds. Clark tallied 11 points, five assists and five steals, hitting 7-of-8 free throws.
The Red Devils slip to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the Centennial Conference. They have another big test on Saturday, traveling to defending conference champion, Haverford College. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 pm.