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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Olivia Nagy fell a block short of a triple double. 
Monica McKie
Olivia Nagy fell a block short of a triple double. 
57
Winner Otterbein OTT 15-6,9-5 OAC
52
John Carroll JCU 17-3,12-2 OAC
Winner
Otterbein OTT
15-6,9-5 OAC
57
Final
52
John Carroll JCU
17-3,12-2 OAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Otterbein OTT 6 20 10 21 57
John Carroll JCU 9 13 18 12 52

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Logan Potosky, Staff Writer

Women's Basketball Stumbles at Home Against Otterbein, Ending 10-Game Win Streak

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- It's not how you start, it's how you finish. In many basketball games, that seems to be the case, and tonight, it was no different.

An Otterbein run late in the fourth quarter led to WBCA/D3hoops No. 8 John Carroll Women's Basketball (17-3, 12-2 OAC) falling to the Cardinals (15-6, 9-5 OAC) by a score of 57-52 at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.

The loss snaps a 10-game winning streak for the Blue Streaks, which was tied for their longest since the 2019-2020 season, and represents their first loss in 2022.

The two teams traded runs to start the game, with John Carroll striking first. A layup from graduate student Gabrielle Gevaudan opened up the scoring less than a minute into the contest. Five straight points from senior center Olivia Nagy would then complete a 7-0 run, with the Blue Streaks in the lead nearly halfway through the quarter.

The Blue & Gold started the game with some stifling defense, as Otterbein missed their first seven shots. However, the Cardinals would go on a 6-0 run to make it a one point game with less than a minute left in the frame. A layup from freshman guard Maddie Pietrowski would end the run and give John Carroll a 9-6 lead through one.

The Blue Streaks struggled in the second, as Otterbein was able to find their footing. Near the halfway mark of the second quarter, a three-pointer gave the Cardinals their first lead at 17-16. On their next possession, they would hit another trey, making the score 20-16. But the Blue & Gold answered, as a pair of buckets from graduate student Nicole Heffington tied the game at 20 with just over three minutes to play in the first half. 

But the Cardinals fought back with a 6-0 run, giving themselves a 26-20 lead with nearly a minute left in the half. A layup from Nagy would end the run, as John Carroll trailed 26-22 at halftime.

In the third, the Blue Streaks were able to regain control. A 7-0 run from the Blue and Gold propelled them to a 34-30 lead with nearly four minutes to go in the quarter. Eventually, senior guard Hannah Bouchy drained a deep three-pointer to beat the buzzer, with John Carroll leading 40-36.

The fourth quarter ended up being the turning point of the game. A hook shot from Nagy gave the Blue Streaks a 46-40 lead with under five minutes left in the period. However, after not having a lead since 30-29 in the third, the Cardinals went on a 12-0 run to go up 52-46 with under a minute left.

But the Blue Streaks refused to give up. Senior guard Sarah Balfour was able to knock down three-pointers on back-to-back John Carroll possessions to cut Otterbein's lead to two with less than 30 seconds remaining. In the end, it was not enough, as the Cardinals held on for a five-point victory.

"Otterbein played a really tough, aggressive game," Head Coach Beth Andrews '15 said. "We just had an off night."

For the Blue Streaks, Nagy finished a block away from her third career triple-double, totaling a team-high 16 points, game-high 16 rebounds, season-high nine blocks, and four steals. Balfour also chipped in with 13 points off the bench, her third straight game in double-figures.

As a team, the Blue & Gold had a challenging night shooting the ball. While shooting 45.0% from the field heading into the contest, which ranked seventh in Division III, Otterbein held them to just 20-of-57 (35.1%) shooting.

"[Otterbein] did a really good job of altering us. They made everybody take tough shots and earn every point," Andrews said.

But John Carroll realizes that while loss is a setback, it also gives them a chance to re-group for the final stretch of the regular season before the OAC Tournament.

"I think that this was a little bit of a reset moment for us to realize how worthy we are to be played against," Andrews said. "The team needs to know that and be willing to accept that challenge."

Next up, John Carroll will host the Ohio Northern Polar Bears on Saturday, February 12 at 2 pm.
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