women’s basketball hops past hopkins

Although she did not score a point, sopohomore Kaitlyn O’Malley dished out a game-high five assists and blocked three shots.

The Muhlenberg women’s basketball team kept making steady steps in the Centennial Conference, adding another game to the winning column.

The Mules (11-3, 6-1 CC) extended their winning streak to six games after defeating the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, 67-52, at Goldfarb Gymnasium in Baltimore.

It was the second straight year the team traveled to Baltimore and came home happy with a win. Prior to last season, Muhlenberg had never won a regular-season game at Johns Hopkins.

Freshman guard Kelly McKeon scored a career-high 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists. She shot 10-of-12 from the free throw line, including six consecutive successful attempts in the final two minutes.

“Coming to Johns Hopkins, we knew we had to hustle and play hard,” McKeon said. “It was a big win for us against a tough opponent.”

After exchanging the leadership with the Blue Jays in the beginning of the game, the Mules established a 17-11 lead on a layup by McKeon with 8:33 remaining in the first half.

The visitors entered the second half leading 27-23. Muhlenberg kept steadily building on the advantage, which reached eight points (43-35) midway through the second half.

Johns Hopkins managed to cut the deficit to as many as four points (45-41) on a three-pointer by Kristin Phillips with 9:27 left, but the Mules went on an 8-0 spurt, establishing a comfortable 53-41 cushion, which they maintained until the final whistle.

In the waning seconds, McKeon demonstrated stable nerves from the free throw line.

“I tried not to think about the free throws, ” McKeon said. “Theres always pressure, but I tried to relax and make them. ”

Junior Lauren Boyle added 16 points for the Mules, moving into the top 10 on the team’s all-time list with 894 career points. Freshman Sheila Cook finished with nine points, and senior Michelle Feldman contributed seven rebounds and four points.

Muhlenberg limited its opposition to 26.4-percent shooting from the floor, despite being outrebounded by the Blue Jays, 55-40.
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