BALTIMORE, Md. – The Franklin & Marshall women's basketball team raced out to an 18-13 lead after just 10 minutes of action and had the upper hand for most of the first half on Tuesday evening at Johns Hopkins. However, the Blue Jays (18-2, 15-1 CC) proved why they are one of the top teams in the conference during the second half as they kept their composure and were able to overtake the Diplomats in a 56-44 victory.

The Diplomats shot 53 percent from the field during the opening quarter and took their first lead of the contest following a layup from Kenna Williams as she completed the old-fashioned three-point play. F&M's largest led of the quarter came when Natalie Kolb knocked down her team's only attempt from distance in the period, giving the visitors a 16-7 advantage off the pass from Ally Trebelev.

Johns Hopkins begin its comeback bid in earnest during the final minutes of the opening period as it scored the final six points of the frame. Jaclyn Feit's hook shot early in the second quarter snapped F&M's scoreless stretch and opened the lead back up to seven points with just nine minutes remaining before the break.

A relentless defense from the Blue Jays kept F&M from another field goal until Kolb knocked down her second triple of the night to give her side a 24-20 advantage. The Diplomats did not relinquish their early lead until the final seconds of the opening half, but Johns Hopkins was able to carry a 27-26 advantage into the locker room following its layup with just 14 seconds showing on the clock.

Although the game remained a one-possession battle for the majority of the third quarter, the Blue Jays pulled away with a 9-0 run that begin at the tail end of the third quarter and continued until the 7:38 mark of the final period. Kennedy Wilburn got loose in the paint for a layup to eventually snap that run. Nevertheless, that basket proved to be all the closer the Diplomats could come in the eventual 56-44 final.

Following a tremendous first quarter of shooting from the field from the Diplomats, the two side's percentages finished basically even with a slight edge to the Blue Jays. Offensive rebounding and second chance points were a game changer for the Blue Jays as Johns Hopkins racked in 20 offensive boards compared to the Diplomats' eight. Those offensive rebounds converted to 19 second chance points as F&M scored just four on those same opportunities.

Wilburn led F&M with 15 points on the evening. She scored six in the opening quarter when F&M raced out to its lead and added six more over the final 10 minutes as her team attempted to erase that late deficit. On the strength of her 2-for-2 night from beyond the arc, Kolb added 10 points while D'Naisha Bellamy-Greene also connected on her only two shots from distance. Kenna Williams had a well-rounded game with nine points and eight rebounds, while Feit added four points off the bench.

Women's basketball continues its three-game road stretch this Thursday with a crucial showdown against Washington College that is slated for 7 p.m. The Shorewomen are currently tied for fourth in the Centennial Conference standings while the Diplomats will be chasing down those teams currently in playoff position during the final week and a half of the regular season.