NEWPORT NEWS, VA – The Johns Hopkins women's basketball team took on Marietta in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Friday evening, topping the Pioneers 75-66 to advance to Round 2 for the first time since 2019. The Blue Jays dominated the interior, outrebounding Marietta 48-44 including a 21-14 advantage in offensive rebounds, and outscored the Pioneers 38-24 down low.
 
Macie Feldman led all scorers with 18 points in the win, with four other Hopkins players eclipsing double figures in Greta Miller (13), Michaela O'Neil (11), Jadyn Murray (10) and Kendall Dunham (10). Feldman added a game-high five assists while O'Neil secured her first double-double since Hopkins' November 21^st win over Gettysburg with a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
Hopkins (25-3) took immediate control of Friday's contest, using jumpers from Murray and Feldman and back-to-back triples by Elisabeth Peebles to leap in front 10-0. A pair of free throws by Marietta stopped the run, getting as close as six at 15-9 before another Murray jumper put the Blue Jays up 17-9 after one.
 
Murray stayed hot to start the second, scoring Hopkins' first four points to build the lead back to 10 before the Pioneers settled into their offense. After a Miller free throw made it 22-13, Marietta used a 5-0 run to cut it to four, trimming the lead to just two at the one-minute mark before tough shots from Miller and Beth Corelli sent the Jays into the break up 32-26.
 
Marietta made another run at the lead to open the second half, getting as close as they would all night down just one before a timely O'Neil 3-pointer ignited a 7-0 response to make it 43-35. The lead ballooned to 13 following a layup by O'Neil , but the Pioneers began to chip away once again, using a 10-4 run over the final two minutes to cut it back to six with 10 to go.
 
The sides traded buckets to start the fourth before the first of four 3-pointers Marietta would hit in the quarter made it a three-point game with 4:22 to go. Hopkins quickly turned that one-possession lead into a 12-point lead following buckets from O'Neil, Dunham and Feldman to all but put the game out of reach. From the 1:19-mark and on it turned into a free throw contest for Hopkins, keeping the Pioneers a safe distance away en route to the 75-66 win.
 
Next up for the Blue Jays is a matchup with host Christopher Newport where they will look to advance to the program's first Sweet 16 since 1998. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.