Marietta's rally finishes just short in 65-63 loss to host John Carroll
Three Pioneers score double figures on Saturday

Jan. 10, 2009
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — After trailing by 15 points early in Saturday (Jan. 10) afternoon’s Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) game at John Carroll University, the Marietta College women’s basketball team rallied to take a late second-half lead only for the Blue Streaks to regain the advantage and hold on for the 65-63 victory.

Senior guard Nikki Driscoll (Bellaire) paced the Pioneers (2-12, 0-7 OAC) with 18 points and four assists. Senior wing Amanda Carraher (Hilliard/Hilliard Davidson) added 18 points and eight rebounds, freshman post Lizz Wilson (Ashtabula/Edgewood) contributed a career-high 10 points and eight boards, while junior post Jamie Beckett (Wooster/Triway) had eight points and seven boards before leaving the game due to injury in the second half.

Rachel Price had a game-high 19 points to lead John Carroll (8-4, 4-2 OAC), who was playing without leading scorer Lee Jennings. Caitlin Sureck added a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds to go along with four blocks. Whitney Hamilton also contributed nine points and nine boards in the win.

The game remained tight throughout the first five minutes of action. John Carroll, who led 10-8 with 14:46 to play in the half, then went on an 8-0 run over the next two minutes to build a comfortable 18-8 advantage. The Blue Streak lead grew to 15 points, 33-18, after Sureck hit a jumper with 5:36 remaining in the stanza. Marietta, however, ended the half on an 11-3 run to enter intermission down seven points, 36-29.

John Carroll’s lead went back up to 10 points, 45-35, after the first five minutes of the second half. Wilson then sparked an 8-0 run with three baskets to cut the lead down to two points, 45-43, with 11 minutes to go in the game. The Pioneers finally tied the game at 51-51 after a layup by Carraher with 6:52 left to play.

A Wilson free throw then gave Marietta its first lead of the game, 54-53, with just under five minutes remaining. John Carroll, however, built its advantage back to seven points, 63-56, as the teams entered the final 38 seconds. A three-pointer by Carraher cut the deficit to four points and then a pair of free throws by Driscoll pulled the Pioneers within a basket, 63-61, with 13 seconds to play in the game. The two squads then traded a pair of free throws down the stretch and John Carroll escaped with a 65-63 win.

Marietta finished the game 20-of-56 (.357) from the field, 5-of-12 (.417) from beyond the arc and 18-of-27 (.667) from the free throw line. John Carroll hit 24-of-70 (.343) from the floor, 7-of-20 (.350) from deep and 10-of-15 (.667) from the charity stripe. The Blue Streaks out-rebounded the Pioneers 49-42 and both teams had 13 turnovers in the game.

The Pioneers are back in action on Wednesday (Jan. 14) evening when they play host to Mount Union College. Tip-off in Ban Johnson Arena is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Freshman Lizz Wilson had a career-best 10 points and eight rebounds against John Carroll.

Box Score