UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS — The Otterbein women's basketball team faced a challenging night against John Carroll on Wednesday, falling 48-31 in Ohio Athletic Conference action.

The Basics

• Records: Otterbein (7-5 overall, 3-2 OAC), John Carroll (10-2 overall, 4-1 OAC)
• Venue: DeCarlo Varsity Center - University Heights, Ohio

Otterbein Stat Leaders

• Sophomore Kyla Irby led the Cardinals in scoring with 10 points and pulled down two rebounds.
• Freshman Mattie Walburn added eight points with six rebounds. 
• Graduate student Kathleen DeCarlo contributed four points and a team-high eight rebounds.
• Freshman Kiara Hudgins had four points, three rebounds and a team-best four assists.
• Sophomore Abby Rawlings had three points and three rebounds.
• Senior Maizie King collected six rebounds.

Game Highlights

• First Quarter: The Cardinals opened with energy, sparked by a 3-pointer from Irby to secure an early lead. A strong defensive effort helped the Cardinals extend their advantage, highlighted by Hudgins' layup and Walburn's jumper to make it 9-2 with just over three minutes left. John Carroll, struggling to find its rhythm on offense, hit a free throw to make the score 9-3, but Walburn immediately answered with a 2-point jumper to extend the lead to 11-3. John Carroll was able to end the quarter with a buzzer-beating layup to trim Otterbein's lead to 11-5, but the Cardinals' defensive effort was impressive throughout the frame.
• Second Quarter: The Blue Streaks opened the quarter with a 6-0 run, fueled by trips to the free-throw line and a crucial and-1 play, tying the game at 11-11. Otterbein briefly regained the lead with Walburn's mid-range jumper and free throws from both DeCarlo and junior JuJu Grubich, but John Carroll answered with a steady offensive push, including a key 3-pointer to take control. A late 9-0 run by the Blue Streaks extended their lead to 25-16 at halftime, finishing with 20 points in the quarter. 
• Third Quarter: The Cardinals came out firing as Irby knocked down another 3-pointer to narrow the gap to 25-19. However, John Carroll responded with a pivotal 6-0 run, capitalizing on second-chance opportunities to build a double-digit lead. The Cardinals stayed composed, with Hudgins and DeCarlo providing baskets to keep the game within reach. Despite the Blue Streaks' momentum, Otterbein's fight and determination shone through. John Carroll led 39-24 going into the final period.
• Fourth Quarter: Otterbein continued to compete in the final quarter, with Walburn and Irby adding key points to narrow the gap. Rawlings energized the team with a well-timed 3-pointer, cutting into John Carroll's lead. Although foul trouble challenged the Cardinals, their determination never wavered. With John Carroll's balanced attack securing the 48-31 win, the Cardinals battled throughout and demonstrated their defensive grit.
• Key Team Stats: Otterbein shot 20% from the field and was 3-of-14 (21.4%) from 3-point range. John Carroll shot 30.6% from the field and was 4-of-24 (16.7%) from 3-point range. The Cardinals were 8-of-14 (57.1%) from the free-throw line, while the Blue Streaks were 6-of-10 (60%). John Carroll out-rebounded the Cardinals by a 46-34 margin.

Notables

• Irby has scored in double figures in 10 games this season and is averaging a team-high 14.4 points per game. The reigning OAC Player of the Week, she entered Wednesday ranked fourth in the OAC in scoring average.
• John Carroll's DeCarlo Varsity Center, home of the men's and women's basketball teams as well as the wrestling and volleyball teams, is named after JCU athletics legend Tony DeCarlo, who is the grandfather of Otterbein women's basketball student-athlete Kathleen DeCarlo.
• Head coach Diana Noles is in her sixth year at Otterbein and has an all-time record of 70-58 at the helm of the Cardinals.
• Otterbein and John Carroll entered Wednesday in a three-way tie for second with Capital in the OAC standings behind leader Baldwin Wallace.
• In what has been a tightly contested series, Otterbein and John Carroll have evenly split the past 10 meetings at five wins apiece.