BALTIMORE, MD – The Johns Hopkins women's basketball team protected its home court Saturday afternoon, topping Dickinson 58-49 to extend its current win streak to seven and remain undefeated in Centennial Conference play. The win also pushed the Blue Jays to an other-worldly 22-3 in their last 25 regular season contests dating back to last year.
Greta Miller continued her hot shooting, finishing with a game-high 18 points on a perfect 4-4 from deep, with Elisabeth Peebles (16), Jadyn Murray (10) and Michaela O'Neil (10) also reaching double figures. Miller has now scored at least 18 points in each of her last three contests, averaging 18.7 points on 53% shooting from the field and an incredible 69% from 3-point territory during that stretch.
Macie Feldman led the way in both rebounds (9) and assists (4) for Hopkins, while defensively O'Neil tallied a team-high two blocks to pair with one steal in the win.
The Blue Jays (8-1, 6-0 Centennial) scored the first points of the afternoon on a tough layup from Peebles, but the Red Devils (4-3, 3-2 Centennial) responded with a 6-0 run to take the early lead. A personal 5-0 run by Miller gave Hopkins back the lead at 7-6 before Dickinson hit a pair of threes as part of a 10-0 run to leap back in front. A made layup from Murray stopped the bleeding with a pair of free throws from O'Neil ending the first with the Jays down 16-11 despite shooting just 27% compared to a game-high 60% for the Red Devils, including 3-4 from 3-point territory.
Dickinson stayed hot from the field to start the second quarter building its lead to nine at 22-13 before Miller sank her second three of the afternoon to cut back into the deficit. Hopkins got points from Peebles, Feldman and O'Neil on ensuing possessions, but were unable to stop the Red Devils on the defensive end with a 5-0 burst after O'Neil's made three giving Dickinson its biggest lead of the day up 33-22.
With just over a minute left on the clock, Peebles drained her first deep ball of the afternoon on a feed from O'Neil to cut it back to single digits, with a free throw apiece from Miller and the sophomore sending the Blue Jays into halftime down 33-27, its largest deficit of the season at the break.
Hopkins began its climb back with a third-quarter in which it shot 35% compared to just 29% for the Red Devils en route to outscoring Dickinson 14-10. The sides traded buckets to start the frame before a 7-2 run that featured made shots from O'Neil, Murray and Peebles made it a one-possession game.
Points were hard to come by with both teams committing a pair of turnovers in the ensuing three minutes before — with Dickinson up five — Feldman hurried the ball down the court and found an open Peebles, who sank the 3-pointer from the wing to cut the lead to just two, 43-41, heading into the final quarter.
Just as the third frame ended so did the fourth start, with a three from O'Neil — just her fourth of the season — giving Hopkins its first lead since it was 7-6 at 44-43. Another deep ball from Dunham and Miller's third of the night extended the lead to seven just under four minutes into the frame to put the Jays firmly in control. The Red Devils got a pair of buckets to keep the game within reach, but with 1:12 left in the contest it was Miller striking again, drilling her career-best fourth 3-pointer from the top of the arc to make it 55-47 Hopkins. Free throws were the only points either side could come by over the final minute, with Miller's 1-2 visit with 10 seconds to go clinching to 58-49 win.
Four of the Blue Jay's five made baskets in the fourth were from 3-point land, shooting 4-4 from deep and 5-10 overall in the quarter while holding Dickinson to 2-12, helping Hopkins enter the frame down two and leave with a nine-point victory.
The Blue Jays are set to return Friday, Dec. 29 when they head to Nashville to compete against the University of Chicago in the Music City Classic, with tip-off set for 1 p.m. CT