TIFFIN, Ohio—Hilary Liwosz scored a game-high 20 points and Melissa Spahar pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds as John Carroll University held off a late second-half surge by the Heidelberg University women's basketball team to claim a 64-58 win in an Ohio Athletic Conference game tonight at Seiberling Gymnasium in Tiffin, Ohio.
Heidelberg (2-8, 0-4 OAC) was led by sophomore guard Kathleen Phillips (Sandusky/St. Mary's) with 17 points. Sophomore guard Emily Giel (Burton/Burkshire) added nine points and passed for a team-high three assists and local sophomore guard Megan Miller (Tiffin/Columbian) had eight markers. Phillips, Miller and junior forward Molly Schriber (Sidney) each tallied a team-high five rebounds, while Phillips, Miller and freshman guard Paige Ricketts (Mineral City/Tusky Valley) each had three steals.
In addition to her 20 points for JCU (4-6, 1-4 OAC), Liwosz hauled in seven rebounds and was 10-of-16 shooting for the free throw line. Emily Ritchee poured in 17 points of her own thanks to three three-pointers.
The Blue Streaks opened a 5-0 lead, but Heidelberg scored six straight points and took a 6-4 lead at the 16:53 mark of the first half when Phillips made a pair of free throws.
JCU then went on a 10-3 run and regained the lead at 14-9 as Liwosz made one of two foul shots with 13:42 on the clock.
Heidelberg looked at a five-point deficit on two more occasions before again closing the gap to one point at 18-17 when junior guard Jordan Ickes (Wooster/Triway) canned a jumper at the 7:23 mark.
JCU again went on a run, building a 26-19 lead at 5:09 as Liwosz canned a three-pointer.
The Berg then went on a 7-0 run of its own, cutting the deficit to 27-26 with 2:12 remaining in the opening half when Giel hit a jumper. Heidelberg continued to face a one-point disadvantage and senior guard Jazmine Shaw (Columbus/Hamilton Township) sent the Tri-Color into halftime trailing, 31-30, when she made a lay-up with 25 seconds on the clock.
Heidelberg opened the second half by taking a 32-21 lead at the 19:37 mark when Miller corralled an offensive rebound and followed up with a lay-up, giving the Tri-Color a 32-31 edge.
The Blue Streaks answered back on their next possession to retake a 33-32 advantage as Emily Day nailed a jumper and continued a 13-0 run, taking a 44-32 lead with 14:47 on the clock, with a Spahar jumper.
JCU continued to lead by double digits as late 7:40 left in the game, but the Berg refused to quit.
Heidelberg reduced the lead to three points at the 1:11 mark with a Phillips jumper and JCU's lead stood at 59-56, and later cut the score to 60-58 with 19 ticks on the clock as Ricketts stole the ball from Allison Lustig and converted a fast break lay-up.
Ritchie and Lustig each made a pair of free throws down the stretch to seal the victory for JCU.
JCU shot 35.3 percent (18-of-51) from the field and made 10 more free throws (22) than Heidelberg attempted (12). The Berg shots 30.7 percent (23-of-75)
Heidelberg returns to the hardwood on Monday, Jan. 2, 2012 when it faces Oberlin College in Oberlin in its final non-conference game of the season.