Box Score

Olivia Nagy ended her career with a double-double.

John Carroll JCU 23-5,15-2 OAC

Trine Trine 25-3,15-1 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.

John Carroll JCU

23-5,15-2 OAC

Final

Mar. 05, 2022

Trine Trine

25-3,15-1 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
John Carroll JCU	9	13	10	10	42
Trine Trine	21	17	16	9	63

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 3/5/2022 7:29:00 PM | Joe Ginley '16, SID

End of an Era: Slow Start Spells Second Round Loss to Trine for Women's Basketball

ANGOLA, Ind. -- Saturday's Second Round affair featured a pair of NCAA Division III titans.

It was a battle between Thunder and Lightning, two top-ranked D3hoops.com squads: No. 5 Trine University and No. 14 John Carroll University.

An ice-cold start forced the Blue Streaks to bow out of the NCAA Tournament to Trine, losing 62-42 at the MTI Center.

The defeat ends what has been a dreamy stretch for the program. The 2019 Blue Streaks began the magic with Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament & Regular Season Championships, plus a berth to the NCAA tourney. After being snubbed from the 2020 NCAA Tournament, the Blue Streaks put together a wonderful 13-2 season in 2021. In the first year of the Beth Andrews '15 era, the Blue & Gold won both the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament and Regular Season trophies. This season, the Blue Streaks enjoyed a marvelous regular season, culminating in a second straight OAC regular season crown.

But after a thrilling offensive showing on Friday, the magic wasn't there on Saturday. Despite a 21-point, 14-rebound, 6-block showing by Olivia Nagy, the Blue Streaks' season came to a close.

"None of our shots were falling the way they typically do," said Andrews. "But I'm proud of the way we played the whole 40 minutes, we pressed and they never let up. They looked to trap and made everything difficult. We just came up short on this one."

The loss certainly feels like the end of an era, as it marks the end of the road for six incomparable JCU student-athletes: Abby Adler, Sarah Balfour, Hannah Bouchy, Gabrielle Gevaudan, Nicole Heffington, and Olivia Nagy.

Heffington departs the team as the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,929 points. The Mentor native is without a doubt one of the best all-around players JCU Women's Basketball fans have ever seen.

"It's been a crazy ride," said Heffington. "We started out freshman year not very good. We rebuilt this program into a successful one, and I'm really proud of everyone who's been a part of it along the way."

Nagy leaves the Blue Streaks as the program's all-time leading rebounder and blocker with 952 rebounds and 366 blocks. She finishes 17th all-time in NCAA Division III history in blocks, as well. The star center is unquestionably the best defensive player in JCU Women's Basketball history and one of the most skilled scorers, too.

"Everyone dreams of getting here," said Nagy. "My freshman year [in 2019], we didn't make it to the second round, so I'm glad we made it here. It's a big deal to be one of the top 32 teams in the nation. I'm really proud of my team. It's great being able to get to the NCAA Tournament twice. We built a culture of a hard work ethic. It started my freshman year with all of those seniors, and we kept it going."

John Carroll shot the lights out during the First Round en route to a 100-56 win over Elizabethtown (PA). In the Second Round, the Blue Streaks started out ice-cold. John Carroll missed its first six shots, as Trine played a high-pressure defense.

The Thunder experienced no such scoring drought, scoring the first 15 points of the ballgame. Olivia Nagy got John Carroll on the board at long last at the 3:14 mark. JCU warmed up in the final minutes of the quarter. But despite 7 points by Nagy down the stretch, John Carroll trailed at the end of one, 21-9.

Sarah Balfour hit a quick triple just 16 seconds into the second, but Trine's offense responded quickly with a pair of buckets. Nagy and Kaelyn Underwood then combined for a 6-0 run, slimming the margin to 25-20 entering the media timeout with 4:56 left. The break disrupted all of JCU's momentum.

After the 90-second timeout, the Thunder flexed their muscle. The hosts fired out to a 13-2 run, surrendering only two Nagy free throws. Entering the break, the Blue Streaks trailed, 38-22.

The Thunder came out of the gates strong in the third quarter, nixing any chance of a JCU comeback in the early stages.

Trine's high-octane defense allowed the hosts to outscore JCU in the third quarter, 16-10. The Blue Streaks couldn't generate enough momentum in the fourth quarter, either, as they were outscored, 10-9.

John Carroll ends the 2021-22 campaign with a 23-4 record.

"That's a direct reflection on this senior class. They never let up," said Andrews. "They made big goals for themselves, and they kept running with it. They made sure every young player who came in knew what to expect. You don't typically have freshmen meetings where freshmen are mentioning the Sweet 16, and all of our freshmen had that as a goal for the team. That's because of what these two and the other seniors preached. They knew what we were capable of and made sure that message got across."

JCU's seniors finish with a career record of 81-18, and the grad students walk away with a career record of 89-36. John Carroll won the 2019 OAC Tournament & Regular Season Championships, the 2021 OAC Tournament & Regular Season Championships, and the 2022 OAC Regular Season Championship. Two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2019 and 2022 will also be highlights to remember for a long time.

Nagy will not be returning for a fifth-year, as she ends her career here in Indiana. She's got a job lined up after college as an accountant, but hopes to coach sometime in the future.

"The whole point of going to John Carroll University is to prepare you for your future," said Andrews. "She has a job lined up which is awesome. Heffington got her Master's degree, and I'm glad she took advantage of the extra year. But I'm proud of all of our seniors with the careers and the next steps of their lives. I'm proud of the legacy they leave behind."

While the loss stings in the moment, the pain will pass. The memories made along the way will be indelible in not only the minds of JCU Women's Basketball program, but in the heart of the John Carroll community as a whole.

And the future is certainly bright for the Blue Streaks.

"This sets the tone for next season," said Andrews. "The younger players know what it feels like and it starts the conversation for next year."

Heffington summed it up perfectly.

"The first thing I said to the team in the locker room after the game was, 'You've watched what it takes to get to this spot, and you need to continue to do that to keep this program where it is.'"

Print Friendly Version