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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Nagy file photo
Noah Tylutki
Olivia Nagy's double double steadied JCU in the win. 
76
Winner John Carroll JCU 5-0,1-0 OAC
68
Muskingum MUSK 4-3,0-1 OAC
Winner
John Carroll JCU
5-0,1-0 OAC
76
Final
68
Muskingum MUSK
4-3,0-1 OAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
John Carroll JCU 24 9 26 17 76
Muskingum MUSK 19 19 15 15 68

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Joe Ginley '16, SID

Women's Basketball Utilizes Post Play to Beat Muskingum on the Road

NEW CONCORD, Ohio -- As the No. 8 team in the country, you're always going to get the other team's best effort.

That was the case on Saturday, as the Fighting Muskies battled tooth and nail at home against No. 8 John Carroll University Women's Basketball. 

But thanks to a strong presence in the paint and veteran calmness, the Blue Streaks steered clear of an upset, securing a 76-68 victory.

The Blue Streaks came out of the gates in the first with strong play. Nicole Heffington anchored the offense. The veteran poured in eight points in the opening stanza. Olivia Nagy scored six points in the final two minutes of the quarter, as well, pushing JCU's lead to 24-19 after one. 

Maddie Pietrowski and Nagy hit layups early in the second quarter, but Muskingum didn't allow things to get out of hand. The Fighting Muskies battled back from a 7-point deficit and finally took a 32-31 lead with 2:50 left. 

Heffington hit a jumper at 2:03, but the Blue Streaks grew cold in the final stages of the quarter, not making a shot from there on out. Muskingum took advantage, building a modest 38-33 lead at the break.

The No. 8 Blue Streaks burst out of the gates in the third. John Carroll needed only 1:21 to erase the deficit, thanks to a Heffington jumper, a Gabrielle Gevaudan layup, and a Hannah Bouchy 3-pointer. 

With 5:40 left in the third, the Blue Streaks snatched the lead, as Heffington hit a layup to earn the 44-42 lead back for good. Kaelyn Underwood then caught fire, scoring JCU's next six points to push the advantage to 50-44. Sarah Balfour hit a layup to make it eight, but Muskingum would not surrender. 

Underwood and Heffington kept up the tempo down the stretch of the third, and Abby Adler completed a 3-point play on a free throw with five seconds. John Carroll stood in front, 59-53, heading into the fourth. 

After a pair of Nagy free throws early in the fourth, JCU's offense went cold for a while. Muskingum took advantage after dry spell of their own, and finally narrowed the deficit to one possession with 5:50 remaining. Muskingum kept up the pressure, and tied things up with 3:23 left to play. JCU Head Coach Beth Andrews '15 opted for a timeout.

Out of the timeout, the Blue Streaks took full control. Nagy and Heffington hit big layups and Bouchy nailed a critical 3-ball at the 1:51 mark for a 70-63 advantage. Muskingum slimmed the margin to four with about a minute left, but four points by Abby Adler and two by Nagy sealed the deal.

Nagy enjoyed a massive day, tallying a double double with a game-high 21 points and 17 rebounds. Heffington also finished in double figures with 18 points, adding 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Underwood also had a nice day, recording 11 points. Adler pitched in 9 clutch points plus tied Heffington for a game-high 4 assists. 

As a team, the Blue Streaks dominated in the paint with size, outscoring the Fighting Muskies by a whopping 54-20, and outrebounding them, 42-34. John Carroll was cold from deep, shooting 2-of-11 (18%), whereas Muskingum stayed in it by shooting 10-of-24 (41%) from beyond the arc. But 12 steals helped the John Carroll cause.

With the OAC opening win in hand, John Carroll will return to action again on Wednesday. The Blue Streaks will face off with Mount Union on the road.
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