Box Score

It was there for the taking.

Seventh seeded John Carroll had just grabbed a one-point lead over sixth-seeded Wilmington College with 2:52 left in regulation, and had two possessions with that lead to put some distance between the two teams.

But when the Blue Streaks failed to seize upon the opportunity after a missed shot and a turnover, host Wilmington latched onto the lead in the late going and never let go. A 7-0 run over the final minute and a half by the Quakers proved to be the difference as Wilmington ended JCU's season with a 60-54 win in the opening round of the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament.

John Carroll tussled and tangled with Wilmington on a night where the shots were not falling for either team.

In the first half, John Carroll built a 20-14 lead with just over seven minutes to play thanks to back-to-back baskets -- one of which was a three-pointer -- from Melissa Spahar. But soon after, Spahar picked up her second foul and the Quakers responded with a 9-1 run to take a 23-21 lead.

Wilmington took a 27-26 lead into the locker room, but with much consternation from the John Carroll contingent. Spahar picked up her third foul just before the half ended.

The Quakers rattled off an 8-0 run to begin the second half and appeared poised to pull away. John Carroll reeled the home team back in A three-pointer by Emily Day tied the game at 40-40 with 13:18 showing on the clock.

From there, the score would be tied for three more times and the lead changed hands six times.

The last time John Carroll grabbed the lead was after falling behind 53-47 with just over five minutes left to play and watching Spahar take a seat with her fifth foul. The Blue Streaks shocked the partisan crowd at Fred Raizk Arena by scoring seven unaswered points -- the last of which came on a three-point play by Hilary Liwosz -- to go up 54-53.

John Carroll would not score again.

The Quakers made seven of their eight free throws to put the game away.

Spahar scored 16 points for John Carroll, which ended its season at 9-16. To listen to the post-game comments from the two Blue Streak seniors, click here for Emilee Ritchie and click here for Emily Day,

Wilmington, which improved to 13-13, was led by LeAnn Topp's game-high 18 markers.

John Carroll was 18-57 (.316) from the field and Wilmington was only slightly better (21-63, .333), but the big seperator between the two teams was the work on the glass. The Quakers had 56 rebounds, including 19 offensive, compared to the Blue Streaks 28, of which just four were offensive.

On the plus side, JCU forced 22 turnovers while giving up just 11.