BALTIMORE, MD – The sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins women's basketball team kicked off its 2024-25 campaign with a matchup against New Jersey City (NJCU) Saturday afternoon, outscoring the Gothic Knights 41-23 in the second half to earn a 72-55, season-opening win at home.
 
Macie Feldman, Greta Miller and Michaela O'Neil all got into double figures with 13 points apiece with Feldman tacking on a game-high and career-best 14 rebounds in the win. Miller added a game-leading three steals while O'Neil paired her 13 points with seven boards, a career-best seven assists and three blocks in one of the most complete games of her career. While the Blue Jays' (1-0) starting trio impressed, the difference in Saturday's game was the bench, with Hopkins' reserves outscoring NCJU's (0-1) 21-5.
 
After a Gothic Knights triple started things off, it was Jadyn Murray scoring Hopkins' first points of the season off a nice feed from Elisabeth Peebles before Feldman, Miller and Murray struck again as part of an 8-2 run that put the Blue Jays up 8-5 just over three minutes into the game. NJCU stayed hot from deep, hitting each of its next three 3-pointers to jump in front 19-12, but it was O'Neil going on a personal 4-0 run to cut the lead back to one before the Gothic Knights' sixth three of the quarter doubled the lead to six at 22-16 after one.
 
The script flipped in the second quarter, with O'Neil and Layla Henderson hitting back-to-back triples to trim the lead to three at 27-24, but it was NJCU building its lead back to seven following a 1-2 trip to the free throw line to make it 32-25. With just over two minutes to go in the quarter, however, brought her quarter tally up to seven points, scoring four as part of a quarter-ending 6-0 run to go into halftime down just one at 32-31.
 
A Feldman jumper to open the second half gave Hopkins its first lead of the game since the 3:48 mark of the first quarter. NJCU retook the lead at 40-39 just under halfway into the frame, with a jumper knotting things at 42 following a Miller triple, but those would be the last points the Gothic Knights scored in the quarter. Instead it was Feldman free throws, a Henderson triple — the sophomore's second of the night — a Miller steal and score and a Kendall Dunham free throw closing out the frame on a 9-0 run to put the Blue Jays up 51-42 heading into the fourth.
 
Saturday's final quarter was all Hopkins, with the Blue Jays shooting north of 64% compared to just 29% for the visitors en route to a 21-13 frame that put the game out of reach. Miller and Murray combined for Hopkins first four buckets — Miller's first put the senior in double figures in scoring — to extend the advantage to 14 before consecutive 3-pointers from Lauren Knudson and Grace Soltes gave the Blue Jays their largest lead of the night at 67-49 with 4:13 to go. Knudson struck again from deep as did Henderson on a fastbreak layup, with Hopkins holding the Gothic Knights scoreless in the final 1:56 to secure the 17-point win.
 
Next up for the Blue Jays is a four-game road trip starting Saturday, Nov. 16 with a matchup against Averett. Tip for the opening game of the N.C. Wesleyan Jean Edge Classic is scheduled for 2 p.m.