Marietta MAR 5-2,1-1 OAC

John Carroll JCU 7-1,2-1 OAC

Marietta MAR

5-2,1-1 OAC

Final

Dec. 14, 2024

John Carroll JCU

7-1,2-1 OAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Marietta MAR	11	21	14	15	61
John Carroll JCU	7	22	20	21	70

Summary
Box Score

Peter Wangechi

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 12/14/2024 5:07:00 PM | Dylan Feltovich, Staff Writer

Thanks to Strong Second Half, Women's Basketball Fires Past Marietta

Guided by Ava Ryncarz, the Blue Streaks won the final home game of the calendar year

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – After dropping the first Ohio Athletic Conference home matchup of the 2024 season, John Carroll Women's Basketball rebounded nicely.

The Blue Streaks managed to take down the Marietta Pioneers in the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center, 70-61.

The Blue Streaks' critical victory over the Pioneers was fueled by junior Ava Ryncarz, who finished the contest with an impressive 23 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals.

"I think it's overall a huge win," said Ryncarz. "We started off a little rough, but we found a way to keep fighting throughout the game. Obviously, my shots were not falling at the beginning, but I just stayed confident and my team stayed confident in me, and we were able to pull off the win."

Ryncarz's huge performance over Marietta was her third double-double of the 2024-25 season.

Marietta began the contest with a 6-0 run in the first four-and-a-half minutes of play until sophomore Brooke Laub hit a three pointer to break John Carroll's scoring drought. But a pair of free throws from junior Kaylie McKenney and a layup from junior Carmen Heuker would be the only points from the Blue Streaks in the first quarter of play, making it 11-7 in favor of the Pioneers heading into the second quarter.

The tides quickly shifted in the second quarter for the Blue Streaks, thanks to a huge offensive explosion from Ryncarz. JCU's leading scorer this season managed to score seven points in six minutes, while finishing the half with nine points and five rebounds.

Despite the offensive surge from the Blue Streaks in the second quarter, Marietta's duo of Adi Hill and Paige Tolson combined 19 points in the first half to fuel the Pioneers to a 32-29 lead over John Carroll at the half.

The back-and-forth battle continued into the third quarter, as juniors Carly Perusek and Ella Neitzel combined for a total of eight points in the quarter. After a couple of key defensive stops for the Blue Streaks and multiple three-pointers from Ryncarz, the Blue Streaks managed to take the lead for the first time all game at the end of the third quarter, 49-46.

John Carroll's defensive efforts became a key factor in the momentum shift, as the team ended the contest with 12 steals. Perusek led the team with four, while Ryncarz and junior Gracie Semptimphelter accounted for five of the 12 steals. On top of a great defensive performance, JCU dominated on the glass, as they had 15 offensive rebounds in the contest compared to the Pioneers eight.

With a three-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of the contest, John Carroll completely controlled the fourth quarter. The Blue Streaks went on a 7-2 run in the first six-and-a-half minutes of play to fire up a 56-48 lead.

Marietta, however, would not go out quietly, as Sophie Nelson knocked down a huge three pointer to cut the lead down to five. But despite both teams trading baskets, it was Semptimphelter who put the nail in the coffin with a huge three-pointer to give the Blue Streaks a 9-point lead with under two minutes to play.

The Pioneers were able to find a couple of late-game baskets to keep them in the contest, but the trio of Laub, Ryncarz, and Semptimphelter went 7-for-8 at the free throw line to end the game.

Next Up
John Carroll is set to take on the College of Saint Benedict on Tuesday, Dec 17 at 9:00 am EST in the Puerto Rico Clasico.

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