The new year provided the John Carroll University women's basketball team with a clean slate, a chance to rebound from a seven-game losing streak over a winless December.

Head coach Kelly Morrone and company took advantage of the opportunity on Wednesday evening from the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.

The Blue Streaks earned their first victory dating back to Nov. 26, topping Heidelberg, 64-50, to begin January 2018 on a high note. Despite trailing by five points at the half, the Blue and Gold showed resilience, playing stingy defense to force 18 turnovers and get back in the win column.

Freshman sensation Nicole Heffington stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore Sarah Sprecher tallied a season-high 12 points. Bri Pittinger and Stephanie Labas led the bench brigade as Pittinger had eight points and four boards in 14 minutes of court time while Labas chipped in with six points, three steals, four rebounds and an assist in 15 minutes

Neither team could piece together a lead larger than six in the first quarter, as JCU used its frontcourt size to match the backcourt shooters of Heidelberg. Chelbi Graham, Pittinger and Heffington created matchup problems while playing together in the paint, as they combined for 11 points to keep within one point of the opposition after the period.

The Student Princes broke through on a 7-2 run over the first three minutes, 42 seconds of the second, forcing Morrone to take a timeout. John Carroll eventually fought back, forcing four turnovers for five points to even the tally at 29-29. The Blue Streaks committed eight team fouls in the quarter, allowing Heidelberg to knock down three shots from the charity stripe and take a five-point lead heading into the intermission.

Second-half action provided more of the same back-and-forth play until Sprecher capped off a 7-0 rally with a three-pointer, giving the Blue and Gold a 41-40 lead, its first since the early stages of the first quarter.

"Our teams have constantly not given up," said assistant coach Sherrie Session. "They have stuck to the game plan. We have trusted the process and what they need to do to be successful."

The momentum continued to stay with the home five.

Heffington battled in the post for another basket, Sprecher drilled a free throw and Dani Carlson drove to the hoop for a 5-0 run and 50-43 advantage, the largest of the contest. JCU maintained a four-point lead with one period left to play.

Heidelberg halted the Blue Streaks' charge and tied the game at 50-50 before Heffington and Sprecher found an open lane for a pair of high-percentage layups. The defense did the rest of the work, holding the Student Princes scoreless for the final seven minutes and ten seconds of play.

 "Defense, we talk about it every day in practice," Session said. "We have to have it. Defense and rebounding is what's going to get us over this hump. It's going to get us over to close play in conference. It's just something that we hone in on every day in practice."

Despite losing Graham and Adler due to five fouls apiece, JCU stayed strong and played tenacious defense for the entirety of the second half, outscoring Heidelberg, 35-16. The Student Princes mustered only four points in the fourth quarter, shooting 15.4% (2-of-13) from the field throughout the defensive clinic.

"They're ready to turn the corner," said Session. "It's the girls, credit to them. They understand what it means to be a family. They want to stick together and step up when [Graham and Adler] go down. It's really a credit to them."

Ohio Athletic Conference play continues when Capital University hosts the Blue Streaks on Saturday, Jan. 6 from Performance Arena in Bexley.