Box Score

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio – The Otterbein University women's basketball team suffered an 84-82 defeat at John Carroll on Wednesday night inside the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.
 
Otterbein (6-8 overall) falls to 1-6 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play and will return home from its one-game roadtrip this Saturday as the Cardinals host Marietta.
 
JCU jumped out to a 19-12 lead, despite Otterbein freshman Dani Kissel tallying six first quarter points to lead the team in the early going. Otterbein responded with a 7-0 scoring run to tie the game at 19 points apiece, before taking a slim 27-24 lead after one period.
 
Otterbein opened the second quarter with an explosive 16-4 scoring run, inflating its lead to as many as 15 points. The Cardinal lead would stay at 15 to end the first half of play, as Otterbein shot an astounding 70 percent from the field through the first 20 minutes. Kissel led all scorers at the break with 12 points, while senior forward Amariah Huck had 10 points and four rebounds.
 
The second half featured a different story for the Cardinals, as JCU trimmed its deficit to single digits at 55-46 with 5:37 remaining in the third period. The Blue Streaks continued to chip away through the remainder of the quarter, eventually narrowing Otterbein's lead to one point before tying the game at 64 points apiece heading into the final quarter.
 
John Carroll opened the final 10 minutes of action with a pair of free throws to take its first lead since the 4:12 mark of the initial quarter. The two teams then traded baskets for nearly five minutes, before the Blue Streaks took an 80-75 advantage with 4:30 left to play.
 
Otterbein battled back to tie the game twice at 80 and 82 over the final 1:55 of play. JCU freshman guard Madi Steiner failed to convert a jumper with 21 seconds remaining, but managed to corral her own rebound and signal a timeout.
 
The Cards forced a JCU turnover on the ensuing possession, prompting a timeout of their own to advance the ball to half court. John Carroll stole the ball on the Otterbein inbounds pass, as sophomore guard Shmoo Pryor scored a layup en route to a dramatic come from behind victory.
 
Kissel led the Cardinals with 17 points on 7-of-20 shooting, connecting on 3-of-5 attempts from behind the arc. Sophomore guard Abby Miduri followed with 15 points on a 6-of-12 mark from the field, dishing out a game-high eight assists. Huck posted 14 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting night, corralling seven rebounds and tallying three assists.
 
Freshman guard Ali Cartnal and sophomore forward Kiersten Taylor chipped in 12 points apiece, with Cartnal recording six assists and Taylor grabbing nine rebounds. Junior guard Feaira Crews added 10 points and seven rebounds.
 
Otterbein outshot JCU 56.9 percent to 45.8 percent on the night, while the Blue Streaks held a 26-12 edge in bench points.