Since John Carroll University joined the Ohio Athletic Conference in 1989, history hasn't been kind to the women's basketball team in conference openers. But the winds of change appear to be blowing in favor of the Blue Streaks lately.
 
On December 4, 2013, head coach Kelly Morrone and the John Carroll University women's basketball team made a statement with an 82-64 win over the University of Mount Union. Nearly a year later, the Blue Streaks made a similar statement, opening Ohio Athletic Conference play with a 72-46 victory over Heidelberg University.

Newly christened in the WBCA/USA Today Top 25 women's basketball poll, the Blue and Gold dominated in the post as the 'Berg struggled to hit shots in an impressive home win on Wednesday evening. The Blue Streaks now stand at 6-0 on the season.

"To open up OAC play gives them confidence heading into the rest of the schedules," Morrone said. "Heidelberg is a great team: they've got some size inside. Their early shots didn't fall, and we took advantage of that."

As a team, JCU shot an impressive 50.9 percent from the field. Four Blue Streaks finished double-digits in points, including two of JCU's three seniors, Beth Switzler (12) and Meghan Weber (12). Morrone cited the team's senior leadership as a critical factor in the big win.

"It's the culture that they're creating," Morrone said. "It's something that happens in locker rooms that creates a winning mentality ... When the players take care of that, it allows us take care of X's and O's, and life is good. We're senior-led again: [the seniors] are delivering the message, and everyone else is following it."

The Blue Streaks surged out of the gate with a 7-0 lead, and didn't let up. Heidelberg never managed to catch up, as JCU possessed the lead for the remainder of the game.

Emily Taylor drained a three-pointer on JCU's first possession, opening the floodgates for the Blue Streaks. Erin Mog and Beth Switzler each found room to work with in the post, extending the lead to 11-3 before Heidelberg burned a timeout six minutes into the game.

The brief respite didn't help the 'Berg, as the Blue and Gold continued to add to the lead. Following nearly every Heidelberg possession, the Blue Streaks pushed the floor, finding openings in the 'Berg's defense. JCU's lead grew to 22-5 following a three-pointer by Katie Battaglia and a layup by Meghan Weber. Trailing by 17 and shooting just 15.4 percent, Heidelberg took a full timeout to regroup at the 11 minute mark.

The next few minutes featured back-and-forth play, as each team displayed dominant defense. Schmoo Pryor broke through with 7:44 remaining in the half, nailing a trey to up JCU's lead to 27-7.

Heidelberg remained cold on offense until the final three minutes of the half. The 'Berg scored 12 points in the waning minutes of the half, capped off by a pair of three-pointers by Shelby Dearth and Jackie Abrecht in the final minute. At half, the Blue Streaks held a 37-19 lead, outshooting the 'Berg, 51.6 to 20 percent.

The 'Berg came out of the break on a roll, streaking to a 6-3 run to begin the half. Meghan Weber responded with a pair of layups to extend JCU's lead to 47-27 with just under 16 minutes left in the half.

The Blue Streaks continued to use their advantage in the post to control the tempo of the game. At the halfway mark of the period, the Blue and Gold held a 25-point lead, 57-32.

The latter portion of the half played out at the former, as the Blue Streaks continued to find room to operate in the low post. Heidelberg managed a few impressive shots, but the outcome was decided.

Carli Patrick led the 'Berg with 10 points and 11 rebounds on the evening.

The Blue Streaks will hit the road on Saturday for a 3 p.m. matchup with Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio.