Box Score

Defensively, John Carroll did what it had to do to get back in the game.

Unfortunately, the offense did not make enough plays down the stretch to complete the rally as the Blue Streaks fell, 55-52, to crosstown and Ohio Athletic Conference rival Baldwin-Wallace Wednesday night in Berea, Ohio.

John Carroll trailed by 11 points at 49-38 with nine minutes to play when it turned up its effort on both sides of the floor. Forcing six Yellow Jacket turnovers and allowing just one shot in four attempts from the floor to be successful, the Blue Streaks went on a 13-2 run to take it first lead of the second half.

Emilee Ritchie tied the game at 51-51 on a three-pointer at the 2:36 mark, and Missy Spahar put JCU ahead when she split a pair of free throws with 2:10 to play.

The rally, however, would end there.

Baldwin-Wallace 's Lexi Rohrbach made four free throws over the final 66 seconds to supply the only offense her team would need. JCU could not capitalize in its final three possessions, missing two shots and turning the ball over once. Ritchie's three-pointer at the buzzer in an attempt to send the game into overtime missed its mark.

John Carroll started the game out strong by scoring the first five points of the game on baskets by its two seniors -- Ritchie and Emily Day. But a 14-2 answer by Baldwin-Wallace gave the home squad a lead it would not relinquish until late in the contest.

The visitors made a nice move at the end of the half to pull to within four points at 28-24 by the break, but the Yellow Jackets scored the first six points of the second to take its first double digit lead of the night.

When Jessica Carpenter put back a missed shot with 9:05 to play, it gave Baldwin-Wallace its largest lead of the night, but it also set the stage for the JCU comeback.

Spahar led John Carroll (4-8, 1-5 OAC), and all scorers for that matter, with 20 points. She also had nine rebounds. Ritchie added 12 points and a game-high five steals. The Blue Streaks shot 12-26 (.462) in the second half to help fuel their resurgence.

Jessica Larison scored 13 points as the only player for Baldwin-Wallace (8-5, 3-3 OAC) in double digits, while Rohrbach and Catherine Spisak shared top rebounding honors with nine rebounds apiece. As a team, the Yellow Jackets won the battle on the glass, 41-26.

The win halted a modest two-game winning streak for John Carroll against Baldwin-Wallace.