Undefeated Start to Season Ends in Ada Against ONU for Women's Basketball

2/13/2021 7:17:00 PM | By: Joe Ginley '16, SID

Box Score ADA, Ohio -- Perfection in the Ohio Athletic Conference in basketball is nearly impossible to achieve.

Following a red-hot 7-game stretch to start 2021, the John Carroll University Women's Basketball squad suffered a 68-53 defeat to Ohio Northern University on Saturday.

The Blue Streaks got the best of the Polar Bears at home on Friday, 55-52, in a narrow victory. In Saturday's contest in ONU's home barn, the Polar Bears spread the ball on offense and limited JCU to 39.6% shooting, below the team's 44.4% clip entering the night.

Ohio Northern raced out to a hot shooting start, hitting five 3-pointers in the opening stanza. Nicole Heffington led all scorers with 8 points, but Olivia Nagy and Kaelyn Underwood were the only other Blue Streaks to find the bottom of the net in the first quarter. ONU possessed a neat 19-11 lead after one.

The Polar Bears extended the advantage to 25-11 with a pair of Lexi Jacobs jump shots and a pair of free throws. Trailing by double digits, the Blue Streaks kicked it into high gear, rolling to a 14-3 advantage to end the quarter. Nagy found room to operate in the paint, pouring in 8 points, while Heffington scored 3 points and hauled in 3 rebounds. Dani Carlson also tossed in a trey.

Even still, the Polar Bears carried a 28-25 advantage heading into the locker room.

Ohio Northern and John Carroll battled nearly evenly in the third, with the hosts outscoring the visitors, 15-12. But the Polar Bears' bench unearthed 6 key points and played well. Nagy continued to thrive down low with 4 points and 6 rebounds, but the Blue Streaks' other shooters struggled to find openings. Heffington and Carlson each found twine on 3's, but the Polar Bears remained ahead on the scoreboard, 43-37.

The fourth quarter belonged to the Polar Bears. Turnovers and fouls undermined John Carroll, while Ohio Northern just didn't miss. ONU converted 7-of-8 shots, including 2-of-3 from deep in a clutch quarter. Carlson and Jaylen Hoffmann each tallied 3-pointers, but the Blue Streaks couldn't mount a comeback in the ONU Sports Center.

Nagy finished with 18 points, leading all scorers, adding 7 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Heffington continued to light up the scoreboard with 14 points, notching 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a great all-around effort. Carlson also hit double-digits with 11 points.

Meanwhile, Lexi Jacobs and Sydney Ward topped ONU scorers with 12 points apiece. All 11 Polar Bears who played on Saturday scored.

The Blue Streaks return to action next week against Muskingum University, heading to New Concord on Friday and playing the host on Saturday.

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