Big halftime leads have been a rare occurrence for the 22nd-ranked John Carroll University women's basketball team.
 
For just the second time this season the Blue Streaks held a double-digit halftime lead. However, it would take clutch free throw shooting late to ward off a comeback attempt by Muskingum to take the 86-79 win on Saturday afternoon in New Concord, Ohio.
 
John Carroll trailed early against Muskingum. It took four free throws from freshman Sarah Cairnie to put John Carroll up for good with 10:45 remaining in the first half.
 
From there it was all Blue Streaks for the remainder of the half.
 
A 3-pointer from senior Emily Taylor with 8:34 remaining in the half sparked a 13-0 run for John Carroll to open up a 30-16 lead. Beth Switzler led the Blue and Gold on the run with eight of the 13 points.
 
Switzler pushed John Carroll's lead back to 12 with 1:36 remaining in the first half with a 6-0 run of her own. The senior finished the first half with 16 points.
 
After the Fighting Muskies cut the Blue Streaks' lead back to single digits, Switzler scored four more points to push JCU's lead back to 12.
 
A late 9-0 run by Muskingum made it a five-point game at 78-73 with 1:26 remaining. The Fighting Muskies made it a three-point game with under a minute remaining.
 
Six free throws over the final 30 seconds from sophomore Katlyn Spahar secured the win. Spahar would finish with a game-high 26 points and seven assists.
 
Switzler added 24 points for her third 20-point game of the year. The senior finished one rebound shy of a double-double.
 
John Carroll improves to 12-1, 5-1 OAC while Muskingum falls to 3-9, 1-4 OAC.
 
The Blue Streaks remain on the road with a 7:30 p.m. tilt at Otterbein on Wednesday, Jan. 14.