Feb. 26, 2009

Tournament Notes (More information available in this format)

BALTIMORE, MD -

Picked to finish sixth in the Centennial Conference and starting the 2008-09 season at 1-7, the Johns Hopkins women's basketball has fought its way into the Centennial Conference Tournament and surprised a few along the way. JHU is the only team participating in the tournament that was not predicted to finish in the top five in the Centennial and has not qualified for the Centennial postseason since 2006.

Hopkins will face Franklin & Marshall for the third time this season in its 13th all-time Centennial Conference Tournament appearance. Muhlenberg is the only team in the league with more appearances (15). The Blue Jays have won four Centennial titles (1996, 1999, 2000 and 2003), has a 14-8 tournament record and has reached the tournament final in 10 of their 13 tries. JHU has a 10-1 record in the Centennial semifinals.

The Opposition

For the third time this season, Johns Hopkins will rumble with Franklin & Marshall. Separating this matchup from the previous two is the opportunity to compete in the Centennial Conference Championship. With an 0-6 Centennial Conference Tournament record, Franklin & Marshall has never reached the tournament finals.

F&M, led by First Team All-Centennial selection Sarah Meisenberg, is 7-6 away from home this season. Meisenberg is eighth in the conference with her 14.8 points per game. The Severna Park, MD native is also third among her Centennial counterparts in assists per game with 4.04.

Inside the Series

The Diplomats split the series with Hopkins this season, with both games decided by two points in the final 10 seconds. F&M leads the all-time series, 29-28, and has claimed three of the last five meetings. Each of the last four meetings have been decided by two points or less.

Memorial Hall Matchups

Muhlenberg has hosted the Centennial Conference Tournament three times since 1994. Hopkins has won seven of 15 contests played in Memorial Hall since 1994, including regular season and postseason games.

Senior Caitlin Sloane is the only current Blue Jay to have played in the Centennial Conference semifinals at Muhlenberg.

Charm City Comparison

Senior Caitlin Sloane finished the regular season tied with Gettysburg's Courtney Fields for sixth in the Centennial Conference for 3-pointers made (39). The pair were high school teammates at St. Paul's School in Baltimore.

Sloane hit two 3-pointers in the last meeting with Gettysburg and notched 13 in the final five contests of the regular season. After draining four from long-range against Washington on February 21, Sloane secured the No. 2 spot in the JHU record book with 111 3-point field goals made.

Senior Caitlin Sloane notched the 100th 3-pointer of her career against Haverford on February 7. She has hit 111 shots from beyond the arc in her career and is shooting .386 from 3-point range this season. Sloane is now second all-time at Johns Hopkins in 3-pointers made with 111.

She is fifth-best in the Centennial Conference with a .360 3-point percentage and eighth in 3-point field goals made (39).

Sharp Shooter

Freshman Chantel Mattiola hit four 3-pointers against Bryn Mawr on February 18, the most by any Hopkins player in one half this season. She also drained a jumper in the lane in the second half to complete a 5-of-5 performance from the floor, becoming the only Blue Jay this season to claim a perfect field goal percentage.

Her four shots from behind the arc tied Caitlin Sloane for the most by any JHU player in a single game this season.

Comebacks

Hopkins has made it happen at the right time in 2009. After a 1-7 start, the Blue Jays have won 12 of their last 17 games to put themselves into the Centennial Conference Tournament. Hopkins started the new year with an 0-2 Centennial Conference record but has improved to 11-7 in the league to push its way into the postseason. JHU has not been part of the Centennial Tournament since 2006.

The Blue Jays tied their largest second-half comeback of the season against Muhlenberg on February 14, scoring 40 of their 54 points in the second half, falling just shortto the Mules. Hopkins also scored 40 second-half points against Washington on January 28.

The Blue Jays kept Muhlenberg below its average of 5.5 3-pointers per game, allowing just one in 16 attempts. Hopkins forced the Mules into 6.3% shooting from beyond the arc, a season-low for Muhlenberg.

Dynamic Duo

The senior-sophomore combo of Kristin Phillips and Lyndsay Burton have combined to lead JHU is scoring in 20 games. Both rank in the top 20 in scoring in the Centennial Conference (Burton (6), Phillips (18)).

Burton has posted six double-doubles, while Phillips has tallied 11. Phillips has scored in double-figures in 16 games this season and Burton has had more than 10 points in 19 games.

Hot Shot

Burton scored 20 or more points in five straight games in January. Burton is the JHU first player to score 20 points or more in five consecutive games since Kathy Darling in 2002. Darling had a streak of six games bridging the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons with 20 or more points. Burton has scored 20 points or more points in seven games this season.

Cleaning the Glass

Kristin Phillips leads the Blue Jays with 10.9 rebounds per game. She ranks 33rd in the nation and second in the Centennial Conference. Phillips moved into fifth all-time in Johns Hopkins history with her eight rebounds against the Mules. She has pulled down 753 career rebounds.

Phillips is one of just six players in JHU history to amass more than 700 points and 700 rebounds. The senior needs just three points to move into 17th all-time in scoring and currently has 780 career points.

Helper

Freshman Chantel Mattiola has recorded 52 assists so far this season, the most by a freshman at Johns Hopkins since Ashley Felix (60) in 2001-02.

Accolades

Burton and Phillips were both named to the All-Centennial team for their superior play this season. Burton was one of three sophomores named First Team All-Centennial. Phillips was an Honorable Mention selection.

Phillips earned Centennial Conference Player of the Week honors on Feburary 9 for her play against Franklin & Marshall, Dickinson and Haverford. Phillips posted a career-high 27 points and 15 rebounds against the Diplomats on the road to help Johns Hopkins to a two-point victory.

Milestones

Head coach Nancy Funk reached the 400-win mark at Johns Hopkins on February 18 with a win over Bryn Mawr. Funk currently has 526 career wins, which includes her tenure at Messiah prior to coming to Hopkins.

Funk is the all-time winningest coach in Centennial Conference history and entered the 2008-09 season ranked 10th all-time in NCAA Division III coaching history with 513 victories.

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