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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Ava Ryncarz file photo from 11-8-24
Jose Figueroa
Ava Ryncarz powered JCU's offense, which hit plenty of 3-pointers. 
66
Winner John Carroll JCU 4-0,0-0 OAC
50
CWRU CWRU 1-2,0-0 UAA
Winner
John Carroll JCU
4-0,0-0 OAC
66
Final
50
CWRU CWRU
1-2,0-0 UAA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
John Carroll JCU 13 19 17 17 66
CWRU CWRU 8 12 14 16 50

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

Lockdown Defense and Excellent Shooting Keys Win at CWRU for Women's Basketball

CLEVELAND – The path to winning in the first three games of the season for John Carroll Women's Basketball was scoring lots of points. On Friday, the Blue Streaks showcased some defensive substance, too.

In a quick roadtrip to nearby Case Western Reserve University, the Blue Streaks played lockdown defense while continuing to stay hot from downtown. John Carroll advanced to 4-0 on the year with a stout 66-50 win over the Spartans at Horsburgh Gymnasium in the Veale Center.

Ava Ryncarz guided the offense again, no surprise from the reigning Ohio Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week. The Aurora native helmed the offense, pouring in 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting (including 5-of-8 from 3-point range) plus 8 rebounds and 3 steals. 

The hosts built a modest lead to start, getting out an 8-5 advantage near the midpoint of the quarter. But in the latter half of the quarter, it was all Blue Streaks, as JCU roared for an 8-0 run. Maddie Pietrowski accounted for four points and Ella Neitzel hit a 3-pointer for a 13-8 JCU lead after one.

Deep looks worked quite well for John Carroll in the second quarter. In fact, all but one of JCU's points came by the deep shot. Ava Ryncarz did much of the damage, hitting four from beyond the arc. Both Neitzel and Carmen Heuker added triples, setting John Carroll ahead at half, 32-20. 

To start the third quarter, it looked like the Spartans might make it a ballgame. Case Western Reserve cut the deficit to five points at the seven-minute mark, but then JCU dominated the remainder of the period. JCU rolled on a 15-5 run to close out the quarter, starting with a Ryncarz 3-pointer. A Brooke Laub knockdown three from the left wing with 11 seconds provided the exclamation point. 

Despite the cushy 15-point lead at the start of the fourth, JCU did not ease up. The Blue Streaks' defense prevented open looks, contesting every shot. Meanwhile, JCU's offense hit another gear with great ball movement. JCU started finding cutters, with Kaylie McKenney doing much of the damage on the layups off nice passes from her teammates. 

John Carroll impressively shot 42.9% (9-of-21) from deep, doing much of its damage off of 3-pointers. The JCU defense suffocated the Spartans, limiting the hosts to just 28.8% from the field. 

Besides Ryncarz's 23 points to lead all scorers, the next-leading scorer was McKenney with 8 points. Laub also deserves kudos with 7 points and 3 assists. 

John Carroll is off to a torrid pace shooting 3-pointers, ranking tops in the conference and top-30 in NCAA Division III with a 40.2% from deep. JCU is making 11 triples per game, a pace that is historic in nature in program history. 

Next Up
John Carroll has a week off to recuperate after a busy stretch of basketball. The Blue Streaks' next matchup is on Saturday, November 23 at SUNY Fredonia in New York. 
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