box score

John Carroll used a late run in the first half to take a four-point lead into the locker room, but could not fend off #17 ranked Capital in the second half as the Crusaders outlasted the Blue Streaks, 62-51, Saturday afternoon at the Capital Center in Bexley, Ohio.

The host team would outscore John Carroll by a 33-18 margin over the final 20 minutes to send the Blue Streaks to their third consecutive loss after starting the season 2-1.

Capital led throughout most of the first half, and still held a six-point lead (27-21) with 3:38 to go before the break. The Blue Streaks, however, closed the half on a 12-2 run for a 33-29 halftime advantage.

A Tara Ford jumper at the 15:14 would put the Blue Streaks ahead by a 41-38 count, but Capital was able to respond with the game's most decisive run. Kristen Richardson used a pair of free throws to give Capital a 42-41 lead, which was followed by a jumper and a three-pointer for the Crusaders.

After a layup by Blue Streaks guard Rachael Price cut the score to 47-43, Capital answered with another 7-0 run, capped off by a layup from Heather McAlpin to give the Crusaders a 54-43 lead with 8:09 remaining. JCU never got closer than seven points the rest of the contest.

Caitlin Graessle scored a season and game-high 16 points for Capital (6-2, 2-1 OAC) on 7-of-10 shooting, while McAlpin recorded a double-double by scoring 10 points and pulling down a career-high 12 rebounds.

Price led the way for John Carroll (2-4, 0-2 OAC) with 15 points. The Blue Streaks were done in by poor outside shooting, as they were 18-42 (.429) from inside the arc but 3-16 (.188) from outside.