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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Maddie Pietrowski Senior Day 2025
Sam Herr
65
Capital CAP 17-6,11-5 OAC
73
Winner John Carroll JCU 17-7,11-5 OAC
Capital CAP
17-6,11-5 OAC
65
Final
73
John Carroll JCU
17-7,11-5 OAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Capital CAP 17 20 12 16 65
John Carroll JCU 11 20 16 26 73

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

Women's Basketball Grits Out Win over Capital at Home

JCU celebrated senior Maddie Pietrowski and Ava Ryncarz joined the 1,000 point club

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – A milestone and a statement win. All in a Saturday's work for John Carroll Women's Basketball.

In a critical matchup with Capital, the Blue Streaks conquered the Comets at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center, 73-65. Along the way, Ava Ryncarz joined the 1,000 point club and Maddie Pietrowski provided a great performance on her Senior Day.

Indeed, it was a festive day for the Blue Streaks, who have clinched a home game in the upcoming Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament.

"Going into the game, I was thinking about it, but most importantly, I was focused on getting a win," explained Ryncarz. "I knew it was probably going to happen, but I just wanted us to get a nice team win today." 

The Comets got the lid off the basket and soon fired home a number of triples. Capital was red-hot from deep to start, connecting on 5-of-10 attempts in the opening quarter.

While Capital largely owned the opening quarter, holding a 17-11 lead entering the break, JCU did enjoy a major highlight. With a pair of free throw makes at the 2:46 mark, Ava Ryncarz made history.

The Aurora native became the 18th member of the 1,000 point club for John Carroll Women's Basketball, joining an illustrious Who's Who of program legends.

"It is pretty cool if you think about it, but it's not a top priority thought for me," said Ryncarz. "Playing the game and doing it the right way is more important."

John Carroll climbed back into things with strong defense to start the second, though the Comets provided answers to Graci Semptimphelter's triple. A Brooke Laub 3-pointer plus a 5-point run by Carly Perusek trimmed the deficit. But when all was said and done, the margin still stood at six points heading into half. 

The hosts found momentum as the third quarter elapsed, getting within one possession at the four-minute mark, 41-38, leading to a full Capital timeout. A 5-0 JCU run slimmed the margin to just one point, helping to set the stage for the fourth with JCU trailing by just two.

A clutch Semptimphelter triple at the eight-minute mark, grabbing the lead for the first time all day for John Carroll. But the Comets quickly responded in kind, with an instant trey. Maddie Pietrowski came alive to halt the momentum, with back-to-back buckets. A Ryncarz offensive board and quick triple stole the lead back for JCU, so Capital called a timeout at 57-54. 

The Blue Streaks' momentum could not be halted by the break, as a traditional three-point play by Pietrowski kept the crowd roaring and made it a two-possession game. JCU stayed in command thanks in part to Carmen Heuker. The Botkins native drew a foul, made the first free throw, and then missed her second shot, but brilliantly stole the rebound. On the bonus possession, JCU took advantage, as Perusek made a key layup. 

Capital narrowed the gap to four points, but got no closer, as JCU buried free throws late to wrap it up.

Ava Ryncarz tied for the team lead with 13 points, adding 9 rebounds. Brooke Laub also notched 13 points on the day.

"I'm so proud of Ava," said Head Coach Beth Andrews '15. "Anyone who reaches this goal knows they can't do this without getting their teammates the ball. Her teammates set her up today. I'm proud Ava took that confident three in the corner, and I'm so proud of her overall."

"Every day we're getting better," said Ryncarz. "We've had our ups and downs, and we were sick this week, but we worked through it. Now's the right time to peak. Today is a great team win we needed. If we can continue this, we can have a good run in the playoffs."

Free throws and physical play inside proved to be key for JCU. The Blue Streaks connected on 25-of-34 free throws and outrebounded the Comets, 43-29.

"We wrote the word 'Grit' on the board before the game," said Andrews. "We talked about how at this point in the season, it's not going to come down to an executed gameplan. It will come down to which team is not willing to lose. Our players put that on their shoulders and did anything to not lose. That led to the victory. I'm proud of Maddie P and I'm looking forward to next week."

Next Up
John Carroll returns home for the final home game of the regular season. The Blue Streaks will host Heidelberg on Wednesday at 7 pm in the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.
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