Being labeled the comeback kid has its pros and cons. In a Wednesday night meeting with the Otterbein University Cardinals in Westerville, Ohio, got a look at the other side of a comeback.

Despite a career night from Sarah Cairnie, John Carroll University (10-10, 6-7) lost the Ohio Athletic Conference match-up with the Cardinals, 75-65.   

Cairnie had a career-high 23-points and eight rebounds while Katlyn Spahar produced a double-double with 11 rebounds and 16 points. Otterbein showcased five scorers in double figures. The offense was slow to come for both squads early in the fixture. It took until the 6:19 mark to see the first crooked number go on the scoreboard when junior forward Katie Battaglia went 1-of-2 from the free throw line. The miss from the charity stripe would be the only one from the Blue Streaks, who went 6-of-7 from the line in the first quarter.

Shooting woes plagued both teams early. Before the 5:25 mark, the visiting Blue Streaks were 0-of-7 from the field while Otterbein was 0-of-6. Freshman forward Bri Pittenger ended the scoring drought with a layup to put JCU up 3-2 midway through the first frame.

The layup would spark something on the offensive end for the Blue and Gold. After giving up an 8-0 run in the closing minutes of the first quarter, Otterbein had to call a timeout to stop the JCU momentum.

Ali Cartnal answered for the Cardinals with a made three-pointer around the 2:30 mark. Before that, the hosting Cardinals were 0-of-8 from beyond the arc. John Carroll would lead by as much as 10 in the first quarter. Otterbein would cut into the John Carroll lead, but the Blue Streaks took a 16-14 lead from the opening frame.

Cairnie led the way with seven first quarter points, while junior forward Katlyn Spahar had a first quarter leading five rebounds. The Blue and Gold dominated in the rebounding category, besting Otterbein 14-5.

Offensive momentum would stay on the John Carroll side at the start of the second quarter.

It would take a layup with 7:50 remaining in the half to stop the 5-0 John Carroll run that opened the second quarter. JCU led 21-16 when the first field goal of the quarter came for Otterbein.

The Blue and Gold offense would continue to deliver. After a Spahar lay up at the 4:36 mark, JCU enjoyed an 11-point lead; the largest of the half. Turnovers became an issue late for both teams. John Carroll would finish the half with 11 turnovers to the Otterbein six. John Carroll led 32-29 at the break.  

The Blue and Gold defense forced Otterbein to shot 11-of-33 from the floor in the first half, while allowing just six trips to the free throw line. As a team, the Blue Streaks finished 40.7-percent from the field in the half.

JCU continued to dominate the rebounding battle in the second quarter. Led by eight rebounds from Spahar, the Blue Streaks managed a 25-14-rebound advantage in the half that included 20 defensive rebounds.

Spahar and Cairnie led the Blue Streaks with nine points in the first 20 minutes. Otterbein's Feaira Crews was the half leader with 10 points.

The third quarter was Otterbein's chance to stage a comeback. A three-pointer from Cartnal would cut the John Carroll lead to two points with 8:54 to play in the quarter. From there, both teams would exchange quick scores in the opening minutes of the third frame.

After a JCU turnover, Otterbein guard Abby Miduri hit a three-pointer to give the Cardinals a 41-40 lead at the 6:27 mark; their first lead of the game.

Cairnie would put the Blue Streaks back on top with lay up. Forward Dani Kissel of Otterbein would push the lead back in the favor of the hosts, prompting a John Carroll timeout at the 5:46 mark.

Otterbein would open up a three-point lead before the Blue Streaks would fight back. With 4:03 to play in the third, Pittenger hit a jump shot to give a 46-45 lead back to the Blue Streaks.

In the final two minutes, Otterbein would open up a six-point lead to close out the third frame. Otterbein led 54-48 heading into the fourth quarter.

Any attempt at a come back from the Blue Streaks was drowned out by the shooting of Otterbein, who finished 46.3 percent from the field. With 4:07 to play, a three pointer from Crews pushed the Cardinal lead 12-points, prompting a timeout from the Blue Streaks.

Spahar would cut the lead to 10 points when Otterbein would make the final push to solidify the victory. The Cardinals would open up a 12 point lead in the latter half of the fourth quarter that the Blue Streaks could not overcome. The Cardinals had five players scoring in double figures.

With the Otterbein victory, the regular season series between the Cardinals and the Blue Streaks is split with the victories going to the home team in each match-up. John Carroll will return home to the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center in a Saturday afternoon meeting with the Capital Crusaders (15-4, 8-4)