‘At the right time’: Mary Washington women’s basketball player reaches 1,000 points club

University of Mary Washington women’s basketball player Jordan Carpenter of Richmond made a milestone shot on January 27, 2024, when she reached 1,000 points in her collegiate career.

Carpenter, who will graduate from the Fredericksburg college in May 2024, needed just eight more points in the Anderson Center that day. Her father threw eight points into the air, then signaled that she needed only three more.

Seconds were left on the clock and the opposing team had the ball. Carpenter’s coach rallied the team to get the ball back and tension rose on the court until Carpenter took the ball down the court and made the shot before the buzzer. UMW also won the game.

“There was like five seconds left, four, three, two, one, and I lay it up. The buzzer goes off right at the right time,” Carpenter said of the game later. The women’s basketball team celebrated Carpenter’s milestone with her.  

A cybersecurity major, Carpenter discovered UMW while playing in a tournament in Richmond. An opposing team’s coach is a UMW alumna, and referred her to the current UMW women’s basketball coach for the Division III team. 

“I came and took a visit, and it was my last visit. I had been to maybe 20 other schools beforehand, but as soon as I came on campus, I knew this is where I wanted to go,” Carpenter said. Her plan is to pursue a career in government or the private sector.

Carpenter was named the conference Player of the Year as well as the Defensive Player of the Year for the 2023-24 Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball all-conference teams. She ranks nationally in doubles with 15 double doubles in 23 games and leads the UMW Eagles with 15.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. 

A 2023 All-American, Carpenter became the 21st player in UMW history to surpass 1,000 career points this year. Her career high of 31 points was achieved this season against Gallaudet, when she notched her 1,000th point at the buzzer. She was named the league’s player of the week three times this season.

At the same time, Carpenter achieved the President’s List for a 4.0 GPA in the fall 2023 semester. She was recently honored as a WBCA All-Star and has secured the prestigious title of First Team All-Region for the year and garnered an honorable mention as a WBCA All-American.