The John Carroll University women's basketball team has a knack for putting up a battle against the top teams in the nation.

The issue has been sustaining the battle for 40 minutes.

Playing their third nationally ranked opponent in the last 21 days, the Blue Streaks fought hard against DePauw – the No. 13 team in Division III basketball according to d3hoops.com – and took an 80-49 loss in their second and final game at the Amy Hasbrook Memorial Classic in Greencastle, Indiana.

The defeat rounds out the 2017 calendar year for head coach Kelly Morrone and company, who move to 2-9 on the campaign.

Abby Adler led the charge with a career-high 13 points, while Kahrin Spear chipped in nine points, her highest level of production since November 26. Bri Pittenger went 3-of-6 for seven points off the bench.

Each team committed four turnovers and shot 3-of-9 from the field in the first six minutes, as the score stood even at 7-7. Pittenger sunk a mid-range jumper just beyond the free-throw line before Sydney Kopp knocked down two free throws to hand JCU a two-point deficit heading into the second quarter.

The Blue and Gold went on a 3-0 run and briefly took a 16-15 early on in the second quarter, but that was where the battle turned. DePauw went on a 7-0 run, and then used another 7-0 run to close out the half. The Tigers eventually gained separation courtesy of the charity stripe, as they drew fouls in the paint and converted 5-of-10 free throws in the second quarter alone. The patient approach on both ends of the floor – spread across four minutes, 16 seconds – yielded the hosts a 33-20 advantage at the intermission.

DePauw finished the afternoon with 35 visits to the free-throw line.

Adler opened the second half with the starters, as she teamed with sophomore Sarah Sprecher for six points as JCU traded baskets with DePauw to open the third period. The Tigers, however, would keep up the pressure to take an 18-point lead, their largest of the game. Dani Carlson and Pittenger pieced together a 5-0 run to cut the margin to 13, but Maya Howard – who had a game-high 20 points – drained a trey, Haley Cange converted a layup and Emily Budde made two free throws to build a 24-point advantage at the end of the quarter.

Despite falling behind by as many as 29 points, John Carroll was still able to show signs of life courtesy of a 7-0 run to move the score to 64-42. Pittenger notched her second three-pointer of the season before DePauw put the final touches on the non-conference affair and improved to 12-1 on the year.

Freshman Nicole Heffington was the John Carroll representative on the Amy Hasbrook Memorial Classic all-tournament team. She tallied 26 points abd 11 rebounds combined in the two games.

The Blue Streaks will play their first game of 2018 against the Heidelberg Student Princes as the Ohio Athletic Conference schedule resumes on Wednesday, January 3, at 7:30 p.m. from the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.