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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Kaylie McKenney at BW
Ben Peskar
Kaylie McKenney notched a career-best 4 assists and nailed her first collegiate triple. 
62
John Carroll JCU 13-13,8-10 OAC
73
Winner Baldwin Wallace BW 22-4,14-4 OAC
John Carroll JCU
13-13,8-10 OAC
62
Final
73
Baldwin Wallace BW
22-4,14-4 OAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
John Carroll JCU 15 19 11 17 62
Baldwin Wallace BW 9 26 15 23 73

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Joe Ginley '16, SID

#13/17 BW Pulls Away Late to End Season for Women's Basketball in OAC Quarterfinal

BEREA, Ohio – John Carroll vs. Baldwin Wallace in the Ohio Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament is a recipe for a barnburner.

In the previous three seasons, the Blue Streaks and Yellow Jackets met in the OAC Tournament Championship with a trophy on the line. No rings were earned tonight, but that made the OAC Quarterfinal no less thrilling. 

This youthful John Carroll squad battled to the final moment, but history was not on their side in a 73-62 road loss. 

"I'm extremely proud of this team," said Head Coach Beth Andrews. "Our goal all along was to make the conference playoffs, and to make the 6-team OAC Tournament is extremely hard. We made it here, but unfortunately we came up short to a very talented, nationally ranked team."

Berea has not been kind to JCU Women's Basketball over the years during tourney time. The Blue Streaks now possess a 1-7 mark in OAC Tournament play vs. the Yellow Jackets at Ursprung Gymnasium in the Cheri Herrer era. 

Fast starts are always critical on the road in the OAC Tournament, particularly in Berea. So, alarm bells rang briefly in the opening minutes when the Yellow Jackets fired out to a 5-0 start in the opening few minutes.

But after the game got into a rhythm, so did John Carroll. The Blue Streaks fired up a 7-0 response within just a minute to move into the lead, with Carmen Heuker getting on the board first, followed by an Ava Ryncarz triple and a Halle Landies bucket.

After the first media timeout at 4:50, the Blue Streaks dominated the remainder of the opening quarter. Maddie Pietrowski buried a triple at 2:50 and the defense kept the Yellow Jackets off the board down the stretch. 

A Ryncarz slash to the bucket off a Kaylie McKenney assist with time dwindling set the score at 15-9 JCU after the opening period. John Carroll held Baldwin Wallace to just 4-of-15 shooting from the field to start, offsetting early foul trouble that kept seniors Kaelyn Underwood and Jaylen Hoffmann on the bench. 

After an early Heuker layup for an 8-point lead, the hosts improved on defense to close the gap before allowing a Ryncarz trey. Out of a JCU timeout, BW regained a 23-22 lead at the midpoint of the quarter. With the veterans out, the youngsters stepped to the fore with the game on a seesaw. McKenney hit a bankshot triple at the 3:28 mark, the first 3-pointer of her JCU career. 

The Yellow Jackets burst to an 8-2 run down the stretch before Carmen Heuker put a stop to it with a deep triple with 6 seconds left in the half. And so, the Blue Streaks made it a one possession game, 35-34, entering half. JCU's deep makes and ability to slash to the bucket were encouraging signs. 

The third quarter delved into a defensive battle. Baldwin Wallace stood ahead, 43-40, at the first media timeout at the midway mark. But then the Yellow Jackets sank a critical 3-pointer at the 3:50 mark, leading to a JCU timeout, trailing 46-41. The Blue Streaks warded off a BW run, keeping it within five entering the final quarter, 50-45. 

Ryncarz slimmed the deficit to one possession with a floating free throw line jumper to open the quarter. But BW's size started to come into play, as the Yellow Jackets attacked the basket and kept it a two-possession game. With 5:56 left, the Yellow Jackets hit a critical 3-pointer to move ahead, 63-55. The Blue Streaks called a timeout, but the deficit was too large to overcome.

Hallie Landies led the way with 17 points, while Ava Ryncarz also reached double figures with 14. Kaylie McKenney looked impressive with 7 points, 7 rebounds, and a season-high 4 assists. 

The Blue Streaks end the year with a 13-13 overall record. The future is very bright for this Blue Streaks squad under Beth Andrews who wisely led the way for a very youthful team. The young talent developed over the course of the season and will form a strong core in future seasons. 

"I'm proud of our youth for not being scared and for trusting the process," said Andrews. "We have a very bright future, I'm very excited." 
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