Shooting woes can become viral, and the Blue Streaks found that out in the hardest of ways and the most inopportune of times Friday night in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.

Making just five second half field goals spelled doom as John Carroll fell to Middlebury College (VT) in an NCAA Division III Championship first round match-up, 62-54, in a game played at Billera Hall on the campus of DeSales University.

John Carroll held leads after the first period (13-9) and at the half (30-27), and still seemed in control just two minutes into the third period (34-28). But that was when the bottom fell out of the offense. JCU managed just one field goal over the final 8:28 of the third as Middlebury went on a 21-8 run to close out the quarter.

Trailing 49-42 when the fourth period began, the Blue Streaks opened up on a 6-0 run to slice the Panthers lead to a single point. In a key juncture of the game, while holding Middlebury without a single point over the first 5:54 of the final stanza, John Carroll could not retake the lead. After Olivia Nagy cut the lead to 49-48 at the 6:41 mark, the Blue and Gold had five opportunities to go back on top, but had a turnover and four missed shots to show for it.

Alex Huffman then buried a three-pointer for Middlebury for its first points of the quarter at the 4:06 mark to push its lead to 52-48.

Nicole Heffington's three-point field goal with 1:46 remaining would cut the deficit to three points at 54-51, but it would be the Blue Streak's last basket. Sarah Sprecher's three free throws with 14 ticks left were the last points.

JCU was 3-17 in the final quarter from the field, and finished 17-59 (.288) for the game.

The Blue Streaks were sluggish out of the gate, falling behind 7-2, but used an 8-0 run to grab their first lead. Heffington had six points and Dani Carlson had five boards in the opening ten minutes.

John Carroll held the lead throughout the entire second quarter, extended its largest advantage to seven points on three occasions, the last of which was at 30-23 with 1:07 left in the half following a jumper by Shmoo Pryor. 

In the opening half, John Carroll was 12-29 (.414) from the field, including 4-10 (.400) from the arc. Middlebury was 9-31 (.290) but made all seven of its free throws to stay within striking distance.

Chelbi Graham and Heffington helped JCU start the third on a 6-1 run. But after Heffington's jumper at the 8:28 mark fell through to give JCU a six-point lead, the only other made basket by the Blue Streaks the remainder of the quarter was a Bri Pittinger lay-up at the 2:42 mark.

Heffington was the only Blue Streak in double figures with 15 points. Nagy led all players with ten rebounds (six offensive). Pryor had nine points in her final game as a Blue Streak.

Middlebury (20-7) had four of its five starters reach double figures, led by Kira Waldman, who scored 12 of her 15 points in the opening half. 

John Carroll's season, which including a second Ohio Athletic Conference regular season title and its first OAC Tournament crown, ends at 22-7.