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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
JCU Defense WBB vs. BW 11-25-25
Jose Figueroa
45
Baldwin Wallace BW 3-2,0-0 OAC
52
Winner John Carroll JCU 5-0,0-0 NCAC
Baldwin Wallace BW
3-2,0-0 OAC
45
Final
52
John Carroll JCU
5-0,0-0 NCAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Baldwin Wallace BW 6 13 5 21 45
John Carroll JCU 12 16 12 12 52

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Maria Karboski, Staff Writer

#8/13 Blue Streaks Play Suffocating Defense to Defeat #15/23 Baldwin Wallace

John Carroll never trailed in a fantastic defensive showing

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – Even amidst an iffy shooting night, John Carroll Women's Basketball dominated with defense. 

The #8/13 Blue Streaks played a suffocating style of defense against #15/23 Baldwin Wallace University in a non-conference rivalry win.

In a wire-to-wire victory, the Blue Streaks ended a 5-game losing streak to BW, heading into Thanksgiving with a huge 52-45 victory at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center. 

With the tip won by the Yellow Jackets, the Blue Streaks were quick to follow with a strong defensive press. Baldwin Wallace didn't see their first points until 4 minutes into the first quarter with a shot from Alyssa Miller. In the meantime, JCU's offense started off well. A beautiful triple from the top of the key by Brooke Laub gave JCU a commanding 12-6 lead at the end of the first. 

The second quarter started with a swift start for the Yellow Jackets. Layups from three Yellow Jackets and Graci Semptimphelter brought the score to a near-even 14-12. The defense on both sides of the court turned up a notch. A resounding top of the key three by All-American Ava Ryncarz had Blue Streak fans out of their seats. With a last second shot and fouls shots, Brooke Laube brought the score at the half to 28-19.

The second half saw the Blue Streaks hit their stride, returning from the break with a powerful 3 from Ava Ryncarz. Determination kept both teams hurrying down the court, a series of fouls and turnovers keeping both teams on their toes.

A jumper from Brooke Thompson and a three from Elise Champagne closed the distance between. The score remained stagnant for several minutes as both defenses worked hard to deny the other team access to the hoop until Carly Perusek ended the scoring drought with a layup halfway through the quarter. A deep corner three from Brooke Laube quickly followed, bringing the game to a more than 10-point gap. 

After a tense end to the third quarter with an offensive personal foul on Brooke Laube, the fourth quarter began with fire. Baldwin Wallace was set on making a comeback, their defense up on the balls of their feet as they worked to keep the Blue Streaks from scoring again. But a Graci Semptimphelter layup helped to turn the tables. 

A clutch top of the key three from Kaycie Badylak and an unassisted layup from Ava Wilkerson provided a counter, but the Blue Streak defense remained unrelenting. 

With 1:03 to play, Semptimphelter hit a colossal 3-pointer off a Ryncarz pass, upping the lead to 10, an insurmountable deficit.

"Before the previous media timeout, we slowed down the ball and got out of rhythm, so Beth [Andrews] encouraged us to keep shooting and keep taking our shots even though our shooting percentage was low," said Semptimphelter. "It was an open look, we practice that every day."

Baldwin Wallace fought to make it a game late, but John Carroll worked hard to maintain possession and fight off a comeback. 

The win continues John Carroll's dominant streak with five wins to start the season. 

"Tonight was a testament to the fact that our identity is our defense," said Semptimphelter, who notched 14 points. "We didn't shoot the ball well but we found a way to win against a really good opponent. This should give us a lot of confidence into conference play."

Ava Ryncarz topped the team with 16 points. Brooke Laub also got to double figures with 10 points. JCU notched 14 offensive rebounds and won the board battle, 36-27. BW had a total of 20 turnovers. 

Next Up
With a week off, the Blue Streaks return Wednesday, December 3 in the DeCarlo Varsity Center at 7 pm to face off against the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops. 
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