Tigers End Season With Loss At No. 10 John Carroll, 88-47

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, OH – Taking on a tough No. 10-ranked John Carroll on the road to close out the 2025-26 regular season, Wittenberg Women's Basketball couldn't find enough offense and fell hard to the Blue Streaks, 88-47, in a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) contest on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center. 

Looking like the nationally ranked team it is, John Carroll came out of the gates on fire, outscoring the Tigers 30-15 in the first frame. The Blue Streaks limited Wittenberg to just nine points in the second quarter to extend the lead to 46-24 at halftime. The game featured just two ties and no lead changes as the Blue Streaks made 13 three-pointers and tallied 19 assists in the game. They also scored 35 points off Tiger turnovers en route to completing a season sweep of Wittenberg.

With the loss, Witt drops to 11-14 overall and 4-10 in the NCAC. John Carroll improves to 22-3 overall and 11-3 in conference, only losing to NCAC leaders Ohio Wesleyan once and Denison twice. Witt is now 2-3 in the all-time series against John Carroll, which is playing its first season as an NCAC member.

Karsen Karlblom (Crystal Lake, IL / Prairie Ridge) finished with a team-high 14 points for Wittenberg, while Catherine Buddenberg (Elsmere, KY / Dixie Heights) added 10 off the bench. Faith Martin (Columbus, OH / Africentric) led the team in rebounds with four. Karlblom and Buddenberg each had two assists.

It was the final regular-season and NCAC game of the season for both teams. However, both teams will advance to the NCAC Tournament, which features the top six finishers squaring off from Feb. 24-28.

Denison won the NCAC regular season title at 13-1, followed by John Carroll and Ohio Wesleyan at 11-3, DePauw is 9-5, and Wittenberg and Oberlin are at 4-10. Wittenberg will take on DePauw in the quarterfinals in Greencastle, Indiana, on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Oberlin will take on John Carroll in University Heights, Ohio, also on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

Winners of each game will advance to the semifinals in Granville, Ohio, on Thursday Feb. 26 or Friday, Feb. 27. The winner of the DePauw/Wittenberg game will take on top-seed Denison at 5 p.m., followed by the winner of the John Carroll/Oberlin game taking on Ohio Wesleyan at 7 p.m.

Team Comparison

• The Tigers were 19-for-56 for 33.9% from the field, 6-for-18 (33.3%) from three-point range, and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line (75%). They also had 23 rebounds, six assists, four steals, and two blocks in the game.
• John Carroll was 33-for-60 from the field for 55%, 13-for-30 from three-point range for 43.3%, and 9-for-15 from the charity stripe for 60%. The Blue Streaks tallied 30 rebounds, 19 assists, and nine steals.

Written By: Cindy Holbrook