PHOTO GALLERY

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Otterbein capitalized on turnovers and pulled away from John Carroll with a strong performance at home, ending the first half of the OAC regular-season schedule in the victory column with a final score of 80-68.

Otterbein found a groove in the second quarter with the first half ending 38-23 in favor of the Cards. JCU then rallied back a bit in the third quarter but the Cards weathered that push to increase their lead across the fourth.

Key Stretches:

• The first quarter ended with the Cards ahead 19-12, following seven turnovers from the Blue Streaks.
   
• Otterbein led 19-14 early in the second but found rhythm leading into the half, outscoring JCU 19-9 over the remainder of the quarter. Katie McCrary drove in for back-to-back layups near the end, with one resulting in a foul as a strong finish led to her three-point play.
   
• Otterbein then showed its biggest lead at 17 points with 8:49 left in the third quarter before the Blue Streaks began working back, striking a 10-5 run to creep back within single digits. However, Kyla Irby nailed a pull-up jumper at the buzzer to close the quarter and help regain a double-digit lead for the Cardinals.
   
• JCU got within seven points early in the fourth but a quick 8-1 run by the Cards doubled-up the cushion. The Cardinals protected their lead over what became a marathon fourth quarter, making 18 of 22 free throws as JCU continued playing the foul game in attempt to work back.

Notable Stats:

• McCrary led the way for the Cardinals with a game-high 23 points, helping Otterbein post a 38-19 edge in bench scoring. Irby added 14 of her own while Maizie King had 12 points and seven rebounds.
   
• JCU totaled 17 turnovers as Otterbein had 13 steals on the night, including four players with multiple takeaways.
   
• Maddie Pietrowski led John Carroll with 13 points while Ava Ryncarz, who rankings top five in the OAC for both scoring and rebounding, ended with 12. Both players tied for a game-high nine rebounds.
   
• The game featured a combined 64 free-throw attempts, with Otterbein going 31 of 37 overall and perfect in the first half. That helped the team offset a 3 for 17 output behind the arc.

Staying Home:

The Cardinals will look to keep the momentum going as they host Capital this Saturday for the Roush Auto Rivalry Showdown. A busy day around the Rike Center will feature tipoff at 5 p.m. with the men's game to follow.