John Carroll's primary post players had a big night in Tiffin, helping the Blue Streaks remain in sole possession of first place in the Ohio Athletic Conference with a 70-68 victory over host Heidelberg Wednesday.

Nicole Heffington and Olivia Nagy were a combined 19-29 from the field, collected 17 rebounds and scored 48 of John Carroll's 70 total points.

Other than a slight dip in the third quarter, JCU enjoyed one of its best shooting nights of the season.

The host squad started off well, building an early eight-point lead in the opening period. When Madelyn Crawford made a lay-up with 1:47 to play in that first quarter, Heidelberg led 21-13.

JCU responded by making three of its last four shots from the field and two of three free throws to tie the score at 21-21 before the period ended. Heffington (6) and Nagy (4) accounted for the Blue Streaks' final ten points of the stanza.

In the second quarter, it was John Carroll's turn to build a lead.  A lay-up by Nagy with 4:21 to play before the half expired gave the Blue Streaks a 34-27 advantage.

Heidelberg rallied and took a 37-35 lead on an Alyssa Riley lay-up with 28 ticks remaining, but a Heffington three ball just before the halftime buzzer sent John Carroll into the locker room with a 38-37 edge.

In the first half, John Carroll shot a sizzling 16-30 (.533) from the field, including 15-21 (.625) from inside the three-point arc.

Despite a downturn in shooting percentage (4-12, .333), the Blue Streaks stayed in the hunt in the third quarter. Kahrin Spear knocked down a three-pointer at the end of the period to tie the score at 49-49 heading into the final ten minutes.

The fourth period began with Heidelberg scoring the first four points before John Carroll unleashed an 18-5 run over the next seven minutes. Heffington (7) and Spear (4) spearheaded the attack that pushed the Blue Streaks' advantage to 67-58 with 1:21 remaining. 

Aianna Wilson's three ball with 48 seconds showing on the clock trimmed the John Carroll lead to four points at 67-63, but free throws down the stretch by Heffington and Spear kept the host squad at arm's length. The Berg did not get to within a single possession until Riley hit a three-point field goal with one second left.

John Carroll (10-4, 6-1) won its sixth consecutive conference game since an opening weekend loss to Marietta to remain one game ahead of Mount Union and two ahead of Baldwin Wallace, Marietta and Capital.

This was also the Blue Streaks' fourth consecutive win overall and seventh in their last eight games.

Heffington had a career-high 36 points and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds as JCU finished the game 27-56 (.482) from the field - its second best shooting effort of the season behind a .483 mark against Otterbein last Wednesday.

Heidelberg (7-7, 3-4 OAC) got 21 points and a game-high 17 boards from Crawford, who also had four blocks.

The Blue Streaks will host Capital on Saturday, January 12, at 3:00 p.m. in the DeCarlo Varsity center.