Energy and hustle on the defensive end early can keep a game close, but fouls, rebounds and shots not dropping, turned out to be the deciding factors Wednesday night as John Carroll fell to Baldwin Wallace, 80-63.
  
With the loss, the Blue Streaks fall to 5-17 and 3-12 in the OAC. Baldwin Wallace improves to 13-9 overall and 9-6 in league play.
 
The two teams combined for 49 total team fouls, but the Yellow Jackets finished the night with 47 total rebounds to JCU's 29. There were 56 combined free throws attempted, and both team's shot above 76% from the foul line.

Everywhere else, the ball would not go quietly into the net. JCU was 20-60 (.333) from the field, including 3-13 (.231) from three-point range.
 
Leading the Blue Streaks was freshman Nicole Heffington with a game-high 22 points, while junior Chelbi Graham chipped in a beneficial 10 points and team-high seven rebounds.
 
Three Yellow Jackets scored in double figures, led by Rachel Womeldorf with 16 points.
 
Baldwin Wallace opened the evening with a Riley Schill basket, only to have Heffington answer with a three-pointer 13 seconds later. The Yellow Jackets kept the pace progressing through the first period, but the Blue Streaks kept the matchup tight with the help of sophomore Dani Carlson's made jumper and Heffington's free throw to give JCU its second lead of the game, 10-9, with 3:54 remaining in the first quarter.
 
Schill drilled a three-pointer for BW, following a sophomore Sarah Sprecher three-pointer and Sara Spicer free throw, with 18 seconds remaining in the opening quarter, to allow the home team to take a 16-14 lead into the break.
 
The second quarter kept the same back-and-forth pace, with the help of junior Chelbi Graham and Heffington adding critical points in the paint.
 
Hannah Fecht propelled the Yellow Jackets down the stretch, hitting two three-pointers and collecting eight points in a span of 55 seconds. The Yellow Jackets then finished off a strong defensive first half on a 7-2 run, taking a 34-25 lead into the intermission.
 
Heffington was active in the opening half, scoring 12 of JCU's 25 first half points.
 
Balancing the defensive battle with offensive pressure, the Yellow Jackets came out of the break with points from Schill and Womeldorf, only to have Carlson answer for the Blue Streaks with back-to-back jumpers in a span of 24 seconds to bring the game within 10 points.
 
Eventually, foul trouble began to rear its ugly head for the Blue Streaks. JCU's eight team fouls in the third quarter alone gave BW the opportunity to capitalize, one in which the Yellow Jackets did by making 13 of 15 foul shots.
 
The Blue Streaks stormed back with the help of an Abby Adler made free throw, along with four quick points by Heffington, to pull JCU back within 14 points.
 
Following a Kara Marshall basket for BW, Graham attacked the painted area to secure two separate layups to keep the game within 14 again, only this time with 1:10 remaining in the third quarter. As time was diminishing, Katie Smith dialed up a three-pointer and drilled a shot that just beat the buzzer, securing a 17-point Yellow Jacket lead going into the final quarter of play.
 
Baldwin Wallace would extend its lead to as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter before securing the 17 point win.
 
Up next, the Blue Streaks return home to the DeCarlo Center on Saturday afternoon, for a matinee contest against the Ohio Northern University Polar Bears. Tip off is set for 3:00 p.m. on Mike Moran Court.