Capital CAP 12-7,6-6 OAC

John Carroll JCU 11-8,6-6 OAC

Capital CAP

12-7,6-6 OAC

Final

Jan. 28, 2023

John Carroll JCU

11-8,6-6 OAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Capital CAP	7	5	15	19	46
John Carroll JCU	16	15	13	9	53

Summary
Box Score

John Carroll's defense played exceptionally in containing the OAC's top scorer.

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 1/28/2023 4:51:00 PM | Danny Gibel, Staff Writer

Women's Basketball Controls Capital in Excellent Defensive Victory

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS -- 74-48. That was the score the first time John Carroll and Capital squared off back in early December.

The second matchup on Saturday afternoon was a completely different script.

The Blue Streaks welcomed the Comets and the Ohio Athletic Conference's scoring leader Bri O'Connor to the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center in search of their third consecutive victory and 11th overall.

Coach Beth Andrews' squad seized control of the game early in the opening minutes, and eventually secured a 53-46 victory.

John Carroll's defense was stifling in the first quarter. For Capital, the quality shot opportunities came at a premium and points even less so. The Blue Streaks limited the Comets to just 2-of-12 shooting in the first quarter. A great first quarter defensively was capped off by a spectacular buzzer-beater three by Ava Ryncarz.

"We played so tough," said Andrews. "Capital has tough scorers and they committed to our game plan. Overall, it was such a fun team effort."

The three-ball gave Ryncarz six points in the first quarter and opened up a 16-7 lead for the Blue Streaks.

The second quarter saw the Blue Streaks continue their domination on both ends of the floor. The rebounding statistics portrayed a lopsided affair. John Carroll owned a 22-14 advantage in total rebounds in the first half.

John Carroll's defense remained the catalyst for their offense as they scored 18 of their 31 first-half points off of turnovers. Six of those 18 came on fastbreaks.

"It was steal after steal and we were converting," said Andrews. "That's what we've been preaching about all season and I think it finally clicked tonight."

The Blue Streaks forced the Comets to make careless passes and took advantage, heading into the half with a 31-12 lead.

The Comets did their best to close the deficit in the third quarter. There were certainly times when it appeared the momentum was swinging towards the purple and white. Yet, the Blue Streaks did not waver. They continued to poke the ball away and block passing lanes.

The scoring on both sides was nearly even. The Comets tallied 15 and the Blue Streaks got on the board for 13. The Blue Streaks still held a commanding 44-27 lead heading into the final quarter.

Similar to the beginning of the third quarter, the Comets came out firing on offense in the fourth. They opened the quarter with a 16-3 run that closed the gap to 47-43 with 3:27 remaining in the fourth quarter. A huge momentum shift was felt in the DeCarlo Center when Laney Murphy buried a deep three with 4:41 left in the quarter. That slimmed the John Carroll lead to under 10 for the first time since early in the second quarter.

"When they started punching back, they caught us on our heels a little bit," said Andrews. "Being a younger team, I think we got a little bit tight instead of playing confidently and remembering what got us there."

Then with everything going against them, the Blue Streaks roared back in the closing minutes with a 6-0 run that slammed the door on a Capital comeback.

A major storyline coming into the matchup was O'Connor, the leading scorer in the OAC. The Blue Streaks contained O'Connor all afternoon, as she was only able to muster six points on 1-of-9 shooting. She had been averaging nearly 18 points per game prior to Saturday.

The scoring for John Carroll was spread out across the roster. Carmen Heuker finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Kaelyn Underwood added 12 points. Ryncarz had 13 points and eight rebounds. The freshman also shot 2-of-6 from beyond the arch. Maddie Pietrowski contributed with nine points and eight rebounds.

"All I hear and see is heart. They were doing everything possible to get the ball back and to fight for an extra possession," said Andrews. "Maddie P and Carmen bought into extra possessions and flying into the paint and going against bigger people."

Next up for the now 11-8 John Carroll Blue Streaks is a home matchup with the 2-16 Heidelberg Student Princes on Wednesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm.

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