BALTIMORE – Sophomore Kiera Cesareo (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) accounted for eight of her 13 points in the final five minutes to help Gettysburg College hold off Johns Hopkins University and secure a 73-63 victory in Centennial Conference women's basketball action inside Goldfarb Gym Tuesday night.
 
Johns Hopkins (2-3, 1-1 CC) erased a late deficit to win in overtime on its home floor last season, but Gettysburg (4-0, 2-0 CC) held off the rally on Tuesday. After the Blue Jays pulled to 58-57 with just over five minutes left, Cesareo knocked down a three-pointer from the corner to kick off a clutch seven-point run for the Bullets.
 
Senior Emily Gibbons (Annapolis, Md./Severn School) logged a team-high 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Gibbons was 9-of-12 from the floor, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Junior Emma Dorshimer (Jenkintown, Pa./Jenkintown) added 16 points and six rebounds, while Cesareo hit on all but one shot attempt on the way to tying her season high for points. Senior Kendra Meredith (Boyds, Md./Northwest) tallied 10 points.
 
Lexie Scholtz held the hot hand for Johns Hopkins, turning in 22 points on 11-of-22 shooting. Scholtz also grabbed 10 rebounds. Madison McGrath scored 13 points and Rory Cole added six points and 10 rebounds.
 
The opening quarter featured seven ties and five lead changes with the two sides ending the period tied 20-20. The Blue Jays' last lead of the game came on a lay-up by Cole early in the second period, but two quick buckets by Cesareo put Gettysburg back in front 25-22. The margin grew to nine (37-28) on a lay-up by Dorshimer later in the second quarter before Johns Hopkins sliced the deficit down to five (39-34) heading into the break.
 
Twice in the third quarter Gettysburg's lead hit double-figures, including on a lay-up by Gibbons with 2:31 left. The Blue Jays refused to back down, running off the next six points to pull to 53-49 heading into the final period.
 
Scholtz came through early in the fourth, knocking down a jumper and swishing a three-pointer to pull Johns Hopkins within two (56-54) with 7:22 to go. Sophomore Ashley Gehrin (Chester, N.J./West Morris Mendham) picked off a pass and took it straight to the rim for a lay-in, but McGrath came right back with a three-pointer to slice the margin down to one (58-57).
 
Cesareo set the stage for Gettysburg's seven-point spurt with a three and Gibbons provided the next two buckets, grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds before a putback and knocking down a baseline jumper to push the margin to 65-57 with 3:27 left.
 
Cesareo answered scores by the Blue Jays on the next two possessions, adding to the advantage with a three-pointer and a lay-up to push the lead to 70-61. Gibbons and Dorshimer polished off the victory with three free throws in the final 30 seconds.
 
Gettysburg finished 28-of-62 (45.2 percent) from the floor and knocked down 7-of-17 three-pointers. The Bullets finished with a 43-27 advantage on the boards.
 
Gettysburg hosts Washington College this Saturday at 3 p.m.