LANCASTER, Pa. - Franklin & Marshall hosted Johns Hopkins on Thursday night for a Centennial Conference battle, dropping a close, back-and-forth game 73-61 to the Blue Jays. With the loss, the Diplomats fell to 3-11, 2-6 CC, while Hopkins improved to 5-8, 3-4 CC with the win.

F&M held a slight 42-36 edge at halftime, but the early minutes of the third quarter saw the Blue Jays use a trio of three-point baskets to draw even at 47-47 with 6:39 left in the period. Six points from Haley Pilone allowed the Diplomats to retake a 53-51 lead with 1:37 left, but four quick points gave Hopkins a slim 55-53 advantage heading into the final stanza.

The Blue Jays carried the momentum into the fourth, going up 59-53 with 8:34 remaining before a layup from Sarah Haddon and an old-fashioned three-point play from Anajha Burnett cut the Hopkins lead to one, 59-58. However, the Blue Jays put together an 11-0 run to take firm control of the contest with a 70-58 lead and 51 seconds left on the clock, eventually winning 73-61.

A game full of streaks began with F&M putting together a 9-0 run on the back of five points from Lindsey Powers and four from Haddon. The Diplomats would lead by as much as 17-5 following a basket plus a foul by Erica Brown, but the Blue Jays responded with a 14-0 run to take a 19-17 lead with 1:26 left in the high-scoring first quarter. After one, Hopkins held a tenuous 22-20 lead.

The momentum returned to F&M early in the second, as eight points from Pilone keyed an 18-3 Diplomat run to take a 42-32 advantage with 1:15 left before halftime. Four unanswered points brought the Blue Jays back into striking distance, but F&M held a six-point, 42-36 lead at the half.

Pilone led all scorers, knocking in 22 points. She was joined in double figures by Powers (11), Brown (10), and Haddon (10).

Brown also pulled in 11 rebounds to log her fifth double-double of the year, while Powers collected nine boards.

Beatriz Williams paced Hopkins with 17 points, followed by Rachel Cook with 12.

The Diplomats return to action on Saturday, closing out the week by traveling to Washington for a 4:00 p.m. showdown with the Shorewomen.