Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Kaylie McKenney vs. Muskingum
Peter Wangechi
Kaylie McKenney led the way with her first career double-double.
62
Muskingum MUSK 3-5,0-3 OAC
65
Winner John Carroll JCU 5-4,1-2 OAC
Muskingum MUSK
3-5,0-3 OAC
62
Final
65
John Carroll JCU
5-4,1-2 OAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Muskingum MUSK 23 14 8 17 62
John Carroll JCU 24 22 7 12 65

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Gabby Hougan, Senior Staff Writer

Women's Basketball Staves Off Muskingum in First OAC Conquest

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS -- Following a pair of Ohio Athletic Conference defeats, John Carroll Women's Basketball bounced back on Saturday afternoon. 

The Blue Streaks hosted the Fighting Muskies of Muskingum University in the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center. After an initial lead from Muskingum, the Blue Streaks fought back for control and ultimately won the game with a score of 65-62.

With the win on Fall Sports Recognition Day, JCU improves to 5-4 on the season.

In the first quarter, Muskingum led the offensive charge but the Blue Streaks slowly chipped away at their lead. At 13 all, John Carroll brought the momentum back in favor of the Blue and Gold thanks to steals from Maddie Pietrowski and defensive rebounds from Ava Ryncarz. 

At the end of the first quarter, the Blue Streaks had the lead, with a close score of 24-23. Kaylie McKenney and Maddie Pietrowski were the offensive leaders in the first quarter with six points apiece. 

Going into the second quarter, John Carroll fired up its defensive presence with McKenney and Pietrowski earning four rebounds each. Pietrowski continued to set the offensive pace for the Blue Streaks and score seven more points. 

To close the half, the Blue Streaks were up 46-37, making this matchup the second highest scoring game of the season. In the leading game against Case Western Reserve, the Blue Streaks scored 52 points in the first half. 

John Carroll's defense continued to pressure Muskingum's offense in the third quarter, forcing them to spend their entire shot clock multiple times. Bella Carcioppolo covered the court well on the defensive side, collecting a steal and saving a pass from going out of bounds. Katie Zatta also stepped up on defense, causing Muskingum to make rushed passes and turn the ball over. 

After keeping Muskingum to just eight points in the third quarter, John Carroll was able to maintain the lead with a score of 53-45. The Fighting Muskies experienced a lengthy dryspell of nearly eight minutes of gametime. 

Moving into the fourth, Ava Ryncarz and Halle Landies each tabbed a three-pointer to advance the Blue Streaks' momentum. The Fighting Muskies lived up to their names and returned the defensive pressure the Blue Streaks had been dishing out. Muskingum brought the score within one point, but John Carroll was able to hold onto the lead. Kaylie McKenney sealed the deal after shooting 2-for-2 on the free throw line with 22 seconds left of the game. John Carroll's defense held firm for the narrow win. 

Earning her first double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, Kaylie McKenney proved to be an integral part of the Blue Streaks' win. Ava Ryncarz (15 points, 8 rebounds) and Maddie Pietrowski (14 points, 7 boards) also put up strong statlines. JCU finished with dominant advantages in rebounds (40-22), points in the paint (34-24), and second-chance points (18-7). 

Looking to the future, McKenney says the way they can become a hard team to beat is by putting all the pieces together in order to hold strong throughout the entire game. 

"We have a tendency to do great in the first half, but we haven't been able to put a full game together. When our shots aren't falling, we need to figure out how to put the ball in the basket, because when we play together, it looks beautiful," said McKenney. "Today, we showed our effort on the boards, which really won us the game. It gets hard in the end when you're tired [to rebound] but when you see a ball, you gotta go for it. Wins come down to those things. If we have a team of people who can do that, it's so fun to play."

McKenney's 15-point day marked her second game in double-digits this season (vs. Alma on 11/11). JCU is 2-0 in those contests. 

"I've been coached to look for my shot more and create scoring opportunities for myself," said the Milford High School alum. "I figured that this was my time to shine. I'm glad about the outcome and the win, I couldn't be happier." 

Next up, Blue Streaks will hit the road and travel to southwest Ohio to face another conference opponent. After finals finish, John Carroll will compete against the Quakers of Wilmington College next Saturday. 
Print Friendly Version

Sponsors