LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall women's basketball team (9-7, 2-4 CC) was defeated by No. 5 Johns Hopkins (14-0, 5-0 CC), 74-44, in Saturday afternoon's Centennial Conference (CC) game at the Mayser Center. A strong first half saw the Diplomats go toe-to-toe with the fifth-ranked team in the nation as the Blue Jays held a 33-30 lead entering the halftime break. However, JHU took control in the second half as the visitors outscored the home team, 41-14, in the final 20 minutes.

Johns Hopkins held a 9-4 lead halfway through the first quarter when the Diplomats started to build momentum on offense. A three-pointer from Fiona Reckner, followed by a jumper from Gia Sioutis tied the game at 9-9. JHU built a 15-11 lead with 2:48 remaining in the quarter before Kayla McCrea made a layup to get F&M within two. From that point, Johns Hopkins ended the quarter scoring eight-unanswered points to take a 23-13 lead.

The Blue Jays extended their lead to 27-15 at the start of the second frame, but F&M began to battle back. Sioutis knocked down two jumpers, while Reckner splashed a three-pointer to get the Diplomats within five. Lizzie Neville connected on a jumper, followed by a layup from Sioutis to get F&M within one. A layup from Johns Hopkins pushed the Blue Jays' lead to 29-26. However, the Diplomats came right back with a jumper from Mackenzie Ward to reduce the deficit back to one. A layup from Neville at the 1:59 mark gave Franklin & Marshall a 30-29 advantage. Johns Hopkins answered by scoring four-unanswered points to take a 33-30 lead into the halftime intermission.

F&M started the second half with a three-pointer from McCrea to tie the game at 33-33. From that point, JHU began a 12-3 run to take a 45-36 lead with 5:51 on the clock. A three-pointer from Lauren Rusas narrowed the deficit to six, but the Blue Jays continued to find success on offense as the visitors took a 54-40 lead into the final quarter.

F&M shot 30.0 percent (18-of-60) from the field, while Johns Hopkins tallied a shooting percentage of 46.3 percent (25-of-54) for the game. The Blue Jays also outrebounded the Diplomats, 46-28, in the contest.

Sioutis led F&M with 13 points, while recording four rebounds and two assists. Neville followed with 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists in the game.

Franklin & Marshall looks to bounce back when it hosts Ursinus on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.