In a game that seemingly could have started on a worse note, the John Carroll women's basketball team could not have finished any better.

John Carroll defeated the OAC's second ranked Wilmington College Fightin' Quakers, 74-71, on Saturday afternoon at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.

John Carroll was led by Katlyn Spahar, who contributed 17 points. Three other Blue Streaks recorded double digits as well: Shmoo Pryor with 15 points, Sarah Sprecher with 11 points and Camille Adelman added a career-high 13 points and eight rebounds.

Wilmington came out strong in the first quarter, preventing John Carroll from scoring within the first five minutes of the game. The Quakers opened the game on an 11-0 run, which the Blue Streaks quickly countered with a run of their own.

Jasmine Rogers broke the streak by sinking a jumper, followed by Adelman, who chipped in six points. The Blue Streaks went on an 8-0 run, cutting the deficit to five at the end of the first with a score of 15-10.  

At one point, the Blue Streaks trailed the Quakers 24-23, but the Quakers were able to increase that lead to five by the end of the quarter. Finishing up the half, the score was 37-32. Both John Carroll and Wilmington scored 22 points in the second quarter.

At the break, Wilmington's Mackenzie Campbell led all scorers with 11 points.  Adelman contributed eight.

Starting the third quarter, the Blue Streaks were ready to play.  Madi Steiner sank a three pointer and chipped in a layup. John Carroll rallied, eventually scoring 20 points for the quarter. Heading into the fourth quarter, the score was 59-52. The Blue Streaks had yet to take the lead.  

The fourth quarter was a different story. The Blue Streaks fought hard and slowly decreased the deficit to two points, 65-63. Spahar made a layup and drew a foul to tie the game with 3:43 left in regulation time. Pryor added a layup to take the lead. Wilmington responded by putting in two quick layups to retake the lead by one. A layup by Spear and a three pointer by Spahar clinched the victory. The final score was 74-71. The Blue Streaks outscored the Quakers 22-12.

Wilmington was led by Mackenzie Campbell, who recorded 21 points for the night, and Mary Moyer, who contributed eight points and eight rebounds.

With the victory, John Carroll moves to 4-10 in the OAC and 6-15 overall.  Wilmington drops to 10-4 in the OAC and 14-7 overall.

John Carroll will play at home against Baldwin Wallace University Wednesday, February 8. Tipoff at 7:30 p.m.