Whitney Hamilton was 7-8 down the stretch from the free throw line to help seal JCU's win over Mount Union
Box Score
Without the benefit of big scoring or rebounding nights, John Carroll did all the little things right in posting a 61-51 victory that completed a season sweep of Mount Union Wednesday night in Alliance, Ohio.
John Carroll's highest scorer had 15 points and its top rebounder managed six boards, but the Blue Streaks held Mount Union to just 51 points and force 21 turnovers while committing only nine. That proved to be the winning formula that saw the Blue Streaks win for the tenth time in their last 12 games.
It was nearly a wire-to-wire win for JCU, which surrendered the lead just one time in the game. After Erin Zahariev would score on a jumper that gave the Streaks a 17-12 advantage with 10:37 showing on the first half clock, the host Purple Raiders responded with a 7-1 run over the next three minutes. Lauren Forquer's jumper gave Mount Union a brief 19-18 lead.
John Carroll would spend the next five minutes producing a 13-2 run. Lee Jennings put the capper in with a jumper that gave the visiting Blue Streaks a 31-21 lead with 2:59 left to play in the opening period.
Mount Union scored the final five points of the half, however, making the score 31-26 in John Carroll's favor at the midway point.
Early in the second half, a Whitney Hamilton lay-up with 15:56 on the clock would open John Carroll's lead to a 12-point margin at 40-28. The Purple Raiders answered with a 14-4 run of their own. A Forquer lay-up with 9:31 remaining narrowed JCU's lead to 44-42.
The John Carroll defense would take over, limiting Mount Union to nien points over the final nine-and-a-half minutes. The Purple Raiders managed to make just three of its final 16 shot attempts and turned the ball over five times in those closing minutes.
In the meantime, JCU would pull away as Hamilton made 7-8 from the free throw line over the final 3:28 of the contest to ice away the victory.
John Carroll (13-7, 8-5 OAC) was paced by 15 points from Jennings, 13 from Caitlin Sureck and 10 from Hamilton. The Blue Streaks won their fifth consecutive road game dating back to December 28, 2007.
Mount Union (8-12, 5-8 OAC) did not have any players score in double figures, with Steph Schwartz taking high honors with nine points. Alicia Williams had a game-high 12 rebounds from the Purple Raiders.
