UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio – Senior guard Evy Iacono (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) scored a school-record 37 points and became the 12th member of the program's 1,000-point club, but after four overtime periods and a total of 60 minutes of action, the Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team lost a 100-97 thriller at local rival John Carroll University on Wednesday at the DeCarlo Varsity Center.
The Spartans drop to 3-3 overall and will have the next 10 days off from competition before traveling to The College of Wooster on Saturday, December 8 for a 4:00 p.m. tipoff. The win moves the Blue Streaks to 4-0.
The four overtimes were the most played in CWRU program history, and the 97 points were the most for the team since a 105-91 victory versus Wilmington College on November 30, 2002.
Overall, the contest saw 20 lead changes and 17 ties.
Iacono broke the previous single-game scoring record of 36 points set by Erin Rogalski '01 on November 18, 2000. For her career, Iacono now has 1,013 points.
Iacono, who was also 8-of-8 from the free throw line, recorded eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. In addition, senior point guard Erica Iafelice (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) totaled 14 points, seven assists and six steals, while sophomore guard Brooke Orcutt (Morrison, Colo./Dakota Ridge) posted nine points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
John Carroll jumped out to quick, 10-point lead as Erin Mog hit a layup to make the score 12-2 with 16:00 left in the first half. The Spartans responded with a 9-2 run and pulled to within 14-11 when freshman forward Laura Mummey (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) completed an "old-fashioned" three-point play at the 12:44 mark. Case then kept the pressure on and grabbed its first lead, 19-18, following a layup from Orcutt at 7:40. The Spartans then closed the half with 13 of the next 17 points and led 32-22 at half. Overall, Case's run extended to 30-10 after falling behind early.
In the second, the Blue Streaks opened on a 17-7 run and tied the score with a Mog three-pointer at the 14:42 mark. The next 10 minutes saw eight lead changes before Case built a 56-51 lead following an Iacono layup with 4:05 left on the clock. However, the Blue Streaks hung around for the duration of the period and eventually moved back in front 64-63 as Meghan Weber hit a layup with 35 seconds remaining. A free throw on the next JCU possession by Beth Switzler made the score 65-63 at the 13-second mark, but the Spartans sent the game to overtime when Iacono hit a layup with just four seconds left before the buzzer.
Both sides started slow in the first overtime as neither scored until Spartan sophomore guard Rachel Beaty (Carrollton, Texas/Hebron) hit a layup at 1:31. Two more lead changes occurred before Mog hit a free throw with 23 seconds left to force a second extra period with the score knotted at 69.
In the second overtime, the Spartans tied the score at 75 with two Iacono free throws at 1:43, but a pair of missed charity shots for the Blue Streaks in the final seconds led to yet another extra period.
In overtime number three, JCU built a quick, five-point lead when Elissa Day hit a three-pointer to make the score 80-75 at 3:20. Case rallied with an 8-2 run and moved ahead 83-82 when Iacono hit a jumper at 00:45. The two sides then exchanged leads with two free throws each, and Iafelice made the score 86-84 with a charity shot at 00:12. However, a missed free throw allowed the Blue Streaks to run the floor and Mog hit a layup in the final seconds to send the game to a fourth overtime.
In the fourth overtime, the teams took several turns with the lead, but it was John Carroll who pulled away for good when Mog scored on a layup that made the score 99-97 with 14 seconds left to play. Mog then hit one-of-two free throws at the 00:05 mark and gave Case a chance, but the Spartans were unable to connect on a desperation shot at the buzzer.
For the game, Mog led JCU with 24 points to go along with nine rebounds and nine assists. Melissa Spahar totaled 20 points and a game-high 13 boards.