LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall women's basketball team (3-4, 1-4 CC) fell, 59-42, to Johns Hopkins (7-1, 5-0 CC), a team receiving votes in the national polls, in Wednesday evening's Centennial Conference (CC) matchup at the Mayser Center. The Diplomats held the Blue Jays to just 18.8 percent from the field to take a 25-21 lead into the halftime break. However, JHU used a huge third quarter surge - outscoring F&M, 23-5, in the frame to seize control of the contest.

A slow start for both teams kept the score close through the first 10 minutes of play. F&M trailed 13-7 with seconds to go in the quarter as Jaclyn Feit drilled her first three-pointer of the season to get the Diplomats to within three.

Franklin & Marshall continued its momentum into the second quarter as Quinn Galligan and Feit converted layups on back-to-back possessions to give the Diplomats a 14-13 lead. F&M led 17-15 when it began a 10-2 run that was started by a Feit layup and a Galligan three-pointer. After Johns Hopkins made a basket, Mackenzie Ward responded with a three-pointer from the corner to put F&M ahead by six. The run stopped when Lizzie Neville drained a pair of free throws at the 2:40 mark to extend the Diplomats advantage to 25-17. However, the hosts didn't score for the rest of the half as the Blue Jays narrowed the deficit to four going into the intermission.

The Diplomats returned from the halftime break cold from the field as the Blue Jays scored 18-unanswered points in the first six minutes of the third quarter. Neville connected on a three-pointer and Ward knocked down two free throws in the final four minutes, but those five points would be the only points for the Diplomats in the frame as JHU held a 44-30 advantage entering the final stanza.

Feit led the Diplomats with 15 points and nine rebounds, while also tallying one block and one steal. Feit also knocked down a career-high three three-pointers in the game. Neville recorded eight points with four assists and one block in the contest. Galligan and Ward also contributed seven points each, with Ward corralling eight rebounds in the game.

Franklin & Marshall plays its final Centennial Conference game of 2023 when it travels to McDaniel Saturday at 1:00 p.m.