BALTIMORE — It is already the winningest season in the history of Johns Hopkins women’s basketball. The Blue Jays want to keep things rolling.
"This is crazy," said center Jadyn Murray. "It is such a privilege to be a team of 64 in the tournament. But then being able to be 16 left, that’s absolutely insane."
No. 15 Hopkins plays in the Sweet 16 of the Division III NCAA Tournament on Friday, at top-seeded NYU, against the No. 5 Scranton.
This season the Jays have won a program-record 26 games. Their latest was a 77-75 victory last weekend at No. 4 Christopher Newport in the round of 32. It ended CNU’s 54-game home winning streak, which was the longest active streak in Division III.
"This past weekend was one of the most fun basketball games I’ve ever played," said forward Greta Miller. "I don’t think I stopped smiling until I went to bed and then I woke up smiling."
"We know that we can beat really great teams and that we can hang with top-ten teams," added guard Elisabeth Peebles, the Blue Jays' leading scorer.
Macie Feldman has been a huge spark. The sophomore guard averaged 9.7 points per game in the regular season. She is averaging 17.5 in the tournament.
"I went out on the court just really confident and when I have confidence in myself I know I play my best basketball," she said.
Feldman and her teammates are playing their best basketball under the leadership of first-year head coach Rodney Rogan.
"To be in the Sweet 16 is something that hasn’t been done here in a while," said Rogan. "These kind of opportunities don’t come all the time. To still be one of 16 teams playing with an opportunity to compete for a national championship, this is why you do it."
Tip-off Friday against Scranton is at 4:30 p.m.
The last time Hopkins was in the Sweet 16 was 1998. They have only advanced to the Elite Eight once. That was in 1997 when they lost to Scranton. If you ask these girls, 27 years isn't too late for a little redemption.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
