Box Score

BALTIMORE -- A strong day on the draw and solid first half effort was not enough for Rutgers women's lacrosse to hold off No. 18/18 Johns Hopkins in the second half, as the Blue Jays distanced themselves with a five-goal run to put the game out of reach by a 14-6 final.

Junior attacker Halley Barnes (Garnet Valley, Pa.) scored two goals and tallied an assist, as three other players -- freshman Kerri Puckhaber (Wantagh, N.Y.), sophomore Macy Scott (Toms River, N.J.) and redshirt senior Lauren Sbrilli (Martinsville, N.J.) -- added goals. The Scarlet Knights' sixth goal occurred in a JHU own-goal situation.

Senior Melissa Arthur (Marlton, N.J.) facilitated two assists in the defeat against JHU, which was the eighth ranked opponent of the year for RU.

Johns Hopkins' five-goal run from 22:59 -- 5:56 in the second half proved to be the difference in the game, as CeCe Finney and Jen Cook each tallied two goals for the Blue Jays during the onslaught.

RU kept pace across a number of statistical categories, tying JHU on the draw, 11-11, and in ground balls, 17-17.  The Scarlet Knights gained eight free position attempts, but could not convert the 8-meter opportunities against goalkeeper, KC Emerson, who entered the week third in save percentage and fourth in GAA nationally.

Emily Kenul led the Blue Jays with a game-high three goals, while Emerson made eight saves.

Rutgers and JHU were neck and neck in the first half. RU held the advantage on draw controls, 7-6, and stayed close in shots, 11-13, and ground balls, 8-9.

Barnes was a force to be reckoned with on the RU attack in the opening period, collecting a game-high four draw controls and leading the Scarlet Knights with two goals. Arthur assisted on two scores, one to Barnes to close Rutgers' first half scoring and another on a restart to Scott at 11:25 which made it a 4-3 game.

The Scarlet Knights close the regular season on Sunday, April 26 at 1 p.m. against Michigan. The Big Ten matchup will determine which team is the No. 5 seed for the inaugural Big Ten Women's Lacrosse Tournament, held at High Point Solutions Stadium from April 30 -- May 3. For more information on the tournament, visit the tournament central page here.

Game Notes

• Barnes posted her sixth multi-goal outing and led RU with three points.

• Sbrilli's goal moved her closer to 14th on RU's all-time points list. With 124 points, she is six shy of Amy Horne (1982-85) and Rita Sweeney (1984-87).

• Freshman Amanda Casten (Brick, N.J.) and Scott each posted new career-highs with three ground balls to lead RU.

• Arthur posted two assists and leads Rutgers with 16 this season. Her single-season assist tally is the best since Ali Steinberg recorded 16 in 2012.

• Senior Jenny Vlahos (Manhasset, N.Y.) and Barnes led the team with four draw controls. Barnes' total tied her career-high.

• Sophomore Christina Daniskas (Montclair, N.J.) made the first start of her career against the Blue Jays.

   

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