PHOTO GALLERY
WESTERVILLE, Ohio- Otterbein Women's Basketball went toe-to-toe for a full 40 minutes with the nationally ranked No. 12 John Carroll Blue Streaks on Wednesday night, but the Cardinals upset bid came up just short, 52-47.
Otterbein led 45-44 with just under four minutes to play, but the Blue Streaks leaned on the 2020 OAC Player of the Year in Olivia Nagy down the stretch to escape the Rike Center with a narrow win.
John Carroll looked like they would run away with things early, jumping out to a 12-0 lead after the first four minutes of action. The Cardinals finally got on the board at the 5:31 mark with a
Katie McCrary jump shot. The visiting Blue Streaks closed the quarter with a 21-11 lead.
The script flipped in the second frame with a quick 5-2 Otterbein run. The Cardinals ramped up their defense throughout the quarter, forcing JCU into multiple turnovers that led to fast-break layups while also getting to the free-throw line. Otterbein eventually worked the lead down to four but hit the locker room trailing by five, 32-27.
Otterbein managed just four points in the third quarter, but the stifling Cardinal defense kept the hosts within striking distance, holding JCU to 10 points.
Natalie Galada opened the fourth with a three, cutting the JCU lead down to eight. The Cardinals then got the lead down to just three after a
Bryn Mangold layup followed by another Galada triple, forcing the Streaks into a timeout at the 6:19 mark.
JCU came out of the timeout with a bucket, but back-to-back turnovers turned into scores for the Cardinals and ultimately just a one-point deficit. Two more JCU turnovers resulted in Otterbein's first lead with 3:45 to play.
Down the stretch, JCU relied heavily on their center Olivia Nagy. She recorded two huge blocks along with two free throws, putting JCU up by three with 10 seconds to play to seal the win.
Nagy led the Blue Streaks with 14 points and 21 rebounds; eight came on the offensive glass.
Katie McCrary was the only Cardinal to reach double-figures with a game-high 15 points, while Natalie Galada chipped in nine on 3-of-5 shooting from deep. Otterbein forced JCU into 27 turnovers, resulting in 16 points.
LOOKING AHEAD:
On Saturday, the Cardinals will hit the road and travel to Mount Union for a 2 p.m. tip-off with the Purple Raiders in Alliance.
