Women’s Basketball Falls to No. 12 John Carroll, 65-55 

SPRINGFIELD, OH - Wittenberg Women's Basketball took on a ranked opponent for the second time in just four days and dropped a 65-55 decision to the No. 12^th-ranked John Carroll in a close North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) contest on Saturday, Jan. 24, at Witt's historic 1929 Fieldhouse, part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex.  

After struggling offensively for much of the first half and trailing by as many as 16 points, the Tigers roared to life with an 11-0 run to cut the lead to just five at the half, 32-27. Molly Mossing (Cedarville, OH / Cedarville) scored 13 of her team-high 21 points before the intermission.

The Blue Streaks would not score again until the eight-minute mark of the third quarter, and after a few possessions, allowed the Tigers to claim their first tie of the game at 34-all on a layup by Madi Barnett (Cincinnati, OH / Kings) with 6:57 to go in the frame. Barnett, who finished the game with nine points, was a key player in the comeback with great defense and scored seven of her nine points in the second half.

The game would stay close with each team matching buckets until John Carroll gained a 45-43 edge at the end of three.

Wittenberg continued to battle and tied things up once more at 47-all at the 8:18 mark of the fourth. The Tigers had a chance to take the lead, but a couple of miscues gave John Carroll the momentum. Unable to convert outside during the Tigers' run, the Blue Streaks gained patience, pushed the ball inside and made some key layups to open their offense up once more. They then hit important three-pointers and outscored Wittenberg 18-8 down the stretch to hold on to the win. While the Tigers only had six more turnovers than the Blue Streaks for the game, John Carroll was able to convert on the miscues, scoring 23 points to just nine off the turnovers.

With the loss, Witt drops to 9-9 overall and 2-5 in the NCAC. John Carroll improves to 16-2 overall and 5-2 in conference, only losing to NCAC leaders Ohio Wesleyan and Denison. The two teams were undefeated in the league going into the day's play, however, Ohio Wesleyan topped the Big Red, 72-65, to take over sole possession of the NCAC at 7-0 with Denison falling to 6-1. Witt is now 2-2 in the series against John Carroll.

Also scoring in double digits for Wittenberg was Karley Moore (Tipp City, OH / Bethel) with 11 points. She also led the team in rebounds with eight, in assists with four and in steals with four.

Team Comparison

• The Tigers were 23-for-54 for 42.6 percent from the field, 4-for-13 (30.8 percent) from three-point range, and 5-of-7 from the free-throw line (71.4 percent).
• John Carroll was 27-for-57 from the field for 47.4 percent, 6-for-22 from three-point range for 27.3 percent, and 5-for-8 from the charity stripe for 62.5 percent.
• Witt had 24 rebounds, 12 assists, 8 steals, and 1 block in the game.
• John Carroll tallied 25 rebounds, 13 assists, 10 steals, and a block.

Next Up

The Tigers will host Wooster in another NCAC matchup on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 1 p.m. in the Pam Evans Smith Arena, part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex.

Written By: Cindy Holbrook