Whatever encouragement John Carroll may have taken from its first half efforts did not carry over into the second half, as host Baldwin-Wallace surged to its ninth consecutive win by a 74-62 score over the Blue Streaks in Berea Wednesday night.
Box Score
A tightly contested first half featured both teams taking turns building five-point leads. Baldwin-Wallace surged first, leading at 18-13 and again at 20-15.
John Carroll then used a 10-0 run to build its only five-point lead of the game. On the strength of two Whitney Hamilton three-pointers -- the second of which dropped through at the 4;21 mark -- the Blue Streaks took a 25-20 advantage.
The home team was able to close the period on a 9-2 run, however, fueled by three points and two offensive rebounds from Amanda Schroeder.
Trailing 29-27 at the break, John Carroll did burst quick from the gate. Outscoring Baldwin-Wallace 5-2 in the opening 85 seconds, the Blue Streaks took a 32-31 lead on a free throw by lee Jennings.
The next seven minutes, however, would decide the fate of the game. Using a 24-8, Baldwin-Wallace would build a 55-40 advantage, capped by a Schroeder three ball at the 11;35 mark.
John carroll would not get closer than eight the rest of the way.
Baldwin-Wallace (14-4, 10-1) was paced by a game-high 21 points from Schroeder, who was 8-14 from the field and a deadly 4-5 from three-point range.
The Yellow Jackets also got a 13-point, 11-rebound effort from Ariel Blough, who was key to the dominance enjoyed by the hosts on the boards. Baldwin-Wallace outrebounded JCU, 44-25, and limited the Blue Streaks to four offensive rebounds on the night.
John Carroll (9-8, 6-5 OAC) had three players in double figures -- Jennings with 18, Caitlin Sureck with 16 and Hamilton with ten. JCU had just one bench player (Laura Gruber with five points) assist in the scoring.