PHOTO GALLERY (coming soon)

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – It counted in the win column by the slimmest of margins Wednesday night for the Otterbein women's basketball team, which held off a scrappy John Carroll team by a 62-61 final in the Rike Center.

The Cardinals, leading by double digits in the second half, escaped in the final minute to complete a season sweep against the Blue Streaks. Otterbein has now won four of the last five in the series.
Furthermore, the Cards have now created two games of separation (with three to play) for a potential home game in the upcoming OAC Tournament. They now stand 13-9 overall and 9-6 against the league.

THE GAME:

• The rugged Otterbein defense held John Carroll to just a pair of made buckets over seven-plus minutes, building a 13-4 lead near the end of the first quarter before settling for a 17-11 edge at the first break.
   
• A 7-0 run to begin the second quarter pushed JCU in front and the visitors later held a 26-23 cushion. Otterbein regrouped nicely to end the half with an 8-0 run.
   
• Both teams scored 16 points in a third quarter that saw offensive exchanges from both. The Cards opened a pair of 11-point leads before John Carroll trimmed it back to just five entering the fourth.
   
• Otterbein clung to that two-possession lead throughout the fourth until JCU made its move, flipping a 53-48 deficit into a 56-55 advantage with three minutes to play.
   
• The lead flip-flopped a few times before a defensive stop, followed by a foul, allowed Jenna Hoschouer to extend the margin to 61-58 at the free-throw line with 20 seconds on the board. However, JCU's Maddie Pietrowski buried a long trifecta out of a timeout (with eight seconds left) to knot the game.
   
• Otterbein advanced the ball via its own timeout and inbounded to Katie McCrary, who was pressed hard by a defender and fouled. She made the first shot before missing the second, but that rebound was corralled by Kathleen DeCarlo…
   
• John Carroll still had hope after a couple misfires at the charity stripe, but a running last-second heave from the top of the key ricocheted off the backboard.

THE STATS:

• Both teams shot below 36% for the game, with Otterbein going 2 for 17 from behind the arc.
   
• McCrary led all scorers with 19 while DeCarlo managed a double-double with 14 rebounds (second most of her career) and 13 points. Natalie Allen chipped in 12 and 7.
   
• Each side converted 19 points off turnovers.
   
• JCU leading scorer Kaelyn Underwood paced her team with 14 points on 6-of-18 shooting.

PLAY FOR KAY:

* Wednesday also marked Otterbein's "Play for Kay" game in honor of former/legendary NC State coach Kay Yow, who passed away from cancer in 2009. The program accepted cash donations at the door and is also doing so HERE. All proceeds go towards the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

UP NEXT:

• Otterbein stays on the road to conclude the week, heading over to Heidelberg come Saturday afternoon for the second game of a doubleheader at 4 p.m.