Box Score The John Carroll University women's basketball team traveled to Westerville, Ohio, on Wednesday night in search of its 20th win of the season – a feat that's only been accomplished twice before in program history.

The Blue Streaks also needed a win to keep perched atop the Ohio Athletic Conference.

A 90-78 win that was closer than it would appear accomplished the aforementioned goals, but the historical overtures went beyond the final outcome.

Senior Missy Spahar led the way for JCU as she finished with 24 points on 12-of-14 shooting to go along with nine rebounds. When she pulled down the third of those nine rebounds, Spahar became the program's all-time leader in that category. She now has 878

Meanwhile, the Blue Streaks recorded their first 20-win season in exactly 20 years, dating back to the 1993-94 season. The win over Otterbein also tied the JCU program record with 14 Ohio Athletic Conference wins this season.

It was a hard earned win for the Blue Streaks, who allowed nearly all of a 17-point second half lead evaporate yet found a way to make plays down the stretch to pull away.

The Blue Streaks (20-3, 14-3 OAC) used a jumper from freshman Katlyn Spahar at the 10:25 mark to establish an early 19-12 lead in the first half. However, the Cardinals responded and narrowed the deficit to just two, 24-22, behind a pair of Tabatha Piper free throws with 6:26 remaining.

After having their lead trimmed to two, the Blue and Gold put their foot on the pedal. JCU used a pair of steals from junior Beth Switzler, as well as one by sophomore Daniella Rice, to ignite a 16-6 run that gave the Blue Streaks took a 40-28 lead at halftime.
JCU was led by 14 first half points from Missy Spahar, who did so on 7-of-9 shooting. The Blue Streaks also shot 50 percent in the first half, compared to just 38.2 percent shooting by the Cardinals.

In the first five minutes of the second half, the Blue Streaks continued to build upon their lead, pushing the score to 51-35 behind another Katlyn Spahar basket. However, the next five minutes would belong to the Cardinals, who used a Chelsea Reed lay up to cut the deficit to just four, 59-55, with 9:41 remaining in the game. JCU's lead shrunk to as little as two, 59-57, as Piper drained two more free throws with 8:09 remaining.

With 6:36 remaining, a steal by Missy Spahar turned into an assist from senior Allie Lustig and a lay up for junior Emily Taylor, which gave JCU a 69-62 lead.

The Blue and Gold led by just four, 71-67, with 4:33 remaining. While both teams exchanged jabs for much of the second half, the Blue Streaks used one last run, much of which was made at the free throw line, to escape Westerville with the victory. One of the top teams in all of Division III in free throw percentage (led the nation as of last week), the Blue Streaks lived up to that reputation by making ten-of-ten in the final 67 seconds. Lustig in particular was clutch, making all six of her attempts.

With the win, the Blue Streaks remained tied atop the OAC standings with Baldwin Wallace University as both teams are 14-3 in conference play with one regular season game remaining.

The Blue Streaks will play their final regular season game at home on Saturday, Feb. 22 against the visiting Marietta Pioneers. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.

A win over the Pioneers would deliver John Carroll at the very least a share of its first Ohio Athletic Conference title in the history of the program.