Box Score The last time the Blue Streaks took place in the Allegheny Invitational was in 2005.  They were crowned champions that year following victories over Thiel College, and Waynesburg University. 

This year, however, they will have to settle for a potential third place place finish at best in the Allegheny Invitational after a 76-63 loss to Misericordia University in round one action Friday afternoon in Meadville, Pennsylvania. 

Box Score

The Blue & Gold struggled out of the gate against the Cougars.  They shot only nine of twenty-six from the floor in the first half, two of fourteen from the land of three.  The Cougars led 34-21 at halftime thanks to eleven first half points from preseason All-American Christine Marks, while the team went fourteen of twenty-six, fifty-four percent, from the floor.

John Carroll would not go away however, as they fought back from their 13-point halftime deficit to cut the Misericordia lead to as few as three points thanks to a 19-9 run in the onset of the second half. 

Leading the charge for the Blue Streaks was the dynamic duo play of sophomores Allie Lustig and Missy Spahar.  Lustig finished the game with a career high 21 points, and has played in all but two minutes over the last two games to start 2011.  Spahar, despite a slow start, finished the contest with nineteen crucial points that allowed the Blue Streaks to stick with the Cougars throughout the contest.

“Things were just falling for me today,” said Lustig following the contest.

Both teams would put up forty-two points in the second half, but the Blue Streaks' slow-start put them in a position where they were forced to play catch-up the majority of the second half. Additionally, whenever the Blue Streaks would make a run on the Cougars, the Cougars would immediately respond with runs of their own, in addition to having clutch shooting off the bench from Caitlin Sweeney late in the second half. 

“They [Misericordia] were a difficult team to matchup (with),” said Blue Streaks head coach Kristie Maravalli.  “We kept making runs at them and we just couldn't get over the hump.”

The Blue Streaks will return to the hardwood tomorrow [Saturday] afternoon when they face off against either Allegheny or Westminster [the loser of the second first round matchup Friday night] in the Consolation game of the Allegheny Invitational beginning at 3:00 p.m.  You can catch all the action live on WJCU-2 by logging on to www.wjcu.org/listen.