NCAA Tournament first round:
Johns Hopkins 76, Stockton 68

Aspen Price-Perry

Boxscore
Richard Stockton (17-10) fell behind Johns Hopkins early (22-5) and was unable to recover as the Ospreys were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with a 76-68 first-round loss at Christopher Newport University (VA).

Aspen Price-Perry (Lindenwold/Lindenwold) led the Ospreys with 21 points while LaTonya Oliver (West Berlin/Overbrook) and Che’Na Thompson (Salem/Salem) each tallied 13 points.

Stockton scored just seven points in the first nine minutes of the game and fell behind 18-7. Price-Perry netted the last seven points of a 9-0 spurt that pulled the Ospreys within 18-16, but they could get no closer. Stockton managed only three points in the last eight minutes of the first half while Johns Hopkins built a 35-24 lead. Price-Perry scored half of Stockton’s points in the period but the Ospreys shot just 31.3 percent from the field.

In the second half, Stockton closed the gap to 37-28 after consecutive hoops by Oliver and Lauren Alwan (Winslow/Timber Creek) before Johns Hopkins began pulling away. After a Price-Perry jumper made the score 42-33, the Blue Jays reeled off 11 consecutive points for a 53-33 lead with 11:22 on the clock.

Stockton chipped away at its deficit as Oliver scored four points to lead a 14-3 run that reduced the margin to single digits at 58-49 with 6:17 remaining. The Ospreys got within six at 69-63 as Thompson capped a span in which she scored eight straight Stockton points with a three-pointer with 1:31 to play. Johns Hopkins went 5-6 at the line in the final minute to clinch the 76-68 victory. The Blue Jays shot 27-34 (79.4%) and outscored Stockton 27-12 at the line for the game.

Stockton made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2006. With just two seniors, Julia Fagan (New Britain, CT/New Britain) and Kaitlyn Loftus (Cape May/Lower Cape May), the Ospreys could have as many as 10 returning letter winners next season as they pursue a second straight NCAA Tournament berth.