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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – A fitting Senior Night was in store for Angelia Jackson, Bryn Mangold and Abby Zerkle (along with their teammates) inside the Rike Center, as the Cardinals caught fire in the third quarter and eventually upset No. 12-ranked John Carroll by a final of 70-62.

The Blue Streaks, beating Otterbein Friday night 78-61 to win the Ohio Athletic Conference regular-season title, drop just their second game of the season in falling to 10-2. Meanwhile, Otterbein improves to 8-4 on the year.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A relatively high-scoring first quarter saw four ties before the Cards held a 20-17 lead at the changeover.
   
• The second frame didn't feature much scoring on either side, as JCU held a 12-7 edge while Otterbein went 2 of 19 from the field. That resulted in a 29-27 lead for the visitors at halftime.
   
• The Cardinals regrouped and delivered a wild run 15-2 run in the third, where sharpshooter Abby Zerkle got hot and the home bench got rowdy. However, the Blue Streaks trimmed a 47-33 deficit into only 49-44 entering the final period.
   
• A JCU three-pointer to begin the last quarter kept things very interesting, and the contest remained a two-possession battle until a timely trifecta from Katie McCrary put Otterbein ahead 58-51. The Cards kept the Streaks at arm's length down the stretch.
   

STATS THAT MATTERED:

• John Carroll gave the ball away 24 times, which allowed the Cards to finish with a 30-13 advantage in points off turnovers.
   
• Jackson and reigning OAC Player of the Year Nicole Heffington tied for a game-high 18 points. Four Cardinals made it to double figures, with Zerkle adding another 17 herself.
   
• The Cardinals finished with a 25-7 edge in fast-break scoring.
   
• John Carroll shot just 3 of 18 from behind the arc.
   
• Star post player Olivia Nagy had 17 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks for the Blue Streaks.

 
UP NEXT:

Otterbein, finishing in a three-way tie for second place in the OAC standings, receives the No. 2 seed in next week's OAC Tournament by virtue of opponent-record tiebreakers with Baldwin Wallace and Mount Union. The Cardinals will host a quarterfinal game on Tuesday in the Rike Center, with the opponent to be determined. Monday will feature the 7-10 and 8-9 play-in games.