Box Score

After a narrow loss in Westerville nearly a month ago, the John Carroll University women's basketball team took aim at an upset of the Otterbein University Cardinals in the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center on Wednesday night.

Despite valiant comeback efforts in the second half, however, JCU would lose another close game to Otterbein, this time by a final score of 59-51.

The first half did not see a score from either team until nearly three minutes into the contest. Otterbein was plagued by turnovers, while JCU missed out on opportunities to capitalize on its opponents' sloppy play.

A tight, even contest resulted once scoring began. The Blue Streaks used the 3-point shooting of Allie Lustig and Emily Taylor to jump out to a 19-11 lead.

Midway through the half, however, the Streaks went cold from the field. Their last field goal came with 9:50 remaining, and Otterbein closed with an 18-2 run, giving the Cardinals a 29-21 lead going into the locker room.
Though JCU came out in the second stanza cold, its offensive attack soon heated up, powered by the play of Missy Spahar and Beth Switzler. This combined with a stingy defense to force an Otterbein shot-clock violation that allowed the Blue and Gold to cut the deficit to three.

Otterbein then ramped up its play and stretched its lead into the double digits. The Blue Streaks refused to go away, however, and used a 13-0 run to ensure the contest would be decided in the final minutes.

The Cardinals' lead would prove insurmountable, though, as the Blue Streaks lost another close contest to Otterbein, a team threatening the number two spot in league standings.

Spahar ended the night with 21 points and seven rebounds, leading all scorers.

JCU head coach Kristie Maravalli had concerns for her team following the game.

“Our rebounding was not great,” she commented about Otterbein's 44-31 rebounding advantage. “We had too many missed opportunities off shots on both sides of the court.”

“The focus going forward will be consistent play,” she continued. “We play well in spurts, and that needs to be improved on Saturday and in tournament play.”

This loss brings JCU to 6-11 in conference play and 13-11 overall. Otterbein improves to 13-4 in the OAC and 19-5 overall.

John Carroll will travel to Marietta on Saturday for its final game of the regular season. Next Monday, February 18, the Streaks will host the Pioneers in JCU's first OAC tournament home game since 2003.