Missed opportunities and shots characterized a tough loss for the John Carroll University women's basketball team to Baldwin Wallace University on Wednesday evening.

The Blue Streaks fell to the visiting Yellow Jackets, 63-56, dropping to 9-7, 4-5 in Ohio Athletic Conference play. The Blue and Gold enjoyed a 39-35 rebound advantage, but looked cold on the offensive end, shooting just 34.4% from the floor.

Shmoo Pryor led the Blue Streaks with 17 points, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and sinking 5-of-7 free throws. Katlyn Spahar and Sarah Cairnie added 10 points apiece for JCU.

The Yellow Jackets used timely scoring and shutdown defense to earn the victory. Seven Yellow Jackets scored seven or more points, as BW utilized a deep bench to stay fresh down the stretch.

The short trip across the Cuyahoga River didn't affect the Yellow Jackets early on, as the crosstown visitors rolled to a 13-6 lead in the first five minutes of the contest. The Blue Streaks enjoyed an inside advantage on offense, but the Yellow Jackets proved to be too hot to stop on the other end of the court.

At the end of the first quarter, the Yellow Jackets held a 23-10 lead, shooting an impressive 10-of-13 from the floor.  

Baldwin Wallace kept up the pressure on both ends of the court on offense. The Yellow Jackets used slick post moves and a rebounding advantage to increase the lead to 32-16 at the 4:45 mark of the second quarter.

Following a tough start shooting the ball, the Blue Streaks started to heat up in the later stages of the half. The Blue and Gold streaked to a 6-1 run to end the second quarter, trailing 33-24 heading into the break.

Physical play characterized the start of the second half, as the teams traded fouls and fought for positioning in the paint. The Yellow Jackets won the battle inside early in the quarter, but JCU quickly fought back after falling behind by 10.

At the 6:40 mark of the third quarter, Katlyn Spahar drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing, narrowing the deficit to seven. Chelbi Graham then hit a jumped off a pass from Pryor, leading BW head coach Cheri Harrer to call a timeout.

The brief break did not slow down JCU's momentum, as Katie Battaglia buried a trey to bring the Blue Streaks to within two, 38-36, midway through the third quarter.

Each time JCU tried to tie the game, BW halted the Blue Streaks. Madi Steiner brought the Blue and Gold within one, 45-44, with 30 seconds left in the third. The freshman hit a layup from the low post, drawing a foul and subsequently hitting the free throw. But Sydney Clark drained a deep three as the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter, extending BW's lead to 48-44.

A minute into the fourth, the Blue Streaks took their first lead of the game, 49-48, thanks to a crazy up-and-under layup by Steiner. But one possession later, Hannah Fecht drilled an open 3-pointer from the far corner, snatching the lead back for the Yellow Jackets.

As the Yellow Jackets gained ground on offense, Pryor fought back on the opposite end, driving the lane on consecutive possessions for three points. Both teams responded by clamping down on defense, leading to a dry spell for both offenses.

Columbo broke a 3-minute scoring drought for the Yellow Jackets with 3:25 remaining, extending BW's lead to 57-52.

Fouls caught up with both teams at the end of the fourth, as both teams reached the bonus in the final minutes. The teams traded free throws, as the Yellow Jackets held a 61-56 lead heading into the final minute following a pair of makes by Clark.

A critical turnover with 40 seconds left forced JCU to foul, allowing BW to extend the lead. Following another missed 3-pointer and foul, the Yellow Jackets hit another free throw, sealing the game in the waning seconds.

The Yellow Jackets remains tied for third in the OAC at 10-6 overall, 6-3 OAC. The Blue Streaks are tied for fifth in the conference halfway through OAC play.The Blue Streaks return to play on Saturday, as JCU will face the Wilmington Fightin' Quakers (6-10, 3-6 OAC) in a 3 p.m. OAC matchup.