(WILMINGTON, Ohio) – The Wilmington College women's basketball team lost a close, 60-59 game to the visiting John Carroll University Blue Streaks Saturday afternoon in their final game in Hermann Court for the 2023 calendar year.
The game came down to a final shot for Wilmington, but it didn't fall, as they are now 1-8 overall this season and 0-4 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC).
Wilmington took a slight 16-13 advantage after the first quarter. The Quakers got behind 7-2 early on but ended the quarter on a 14-6 run. Cassidy Lovett, Keetyn Hupp, and Stephanie Altstaetter combined for 15 of the Quakers 16 points in the quarter.
It was tied at 20-20 with just 3:52 remaining in the first half. The Blue Streaks would use a key 7-0 run however to gain the momentum with 2:10 to play in the half. A quick 4-0 Quakers rally cut it to three, and they would end up going into the break trailing 30-26.
The Blue Streaks lead would grow to 39-28 halfway through the third quarter, but the Quakers wouldn't go away. A 9-2 run was led by four Natalie Rupp points to cut the lead to 41-37 with 52 seconds left in the third period. A quick 4-0 burst from John Carroll pushed the score back out to eight at 45-37, but Wilmington punched back with four late Lovett points, including a last second three pointer to head into the final 10 minutes trailing 45-41.
The Quakers would inch closer in the final quarter but weren't able to tie the game or take the lead. An Alstaetter free throw with 8:35 remaining made the score 47-46 in favor of the Blue Streaks. However, John Carroll looked to have put the game out of reach, using a 7-0 run in less than two minutes to widen their lead to 54-46 with 6:54 left in the game.
A 13-5 run ensued for Wilmington to cut the lead down to one at 60-59 with 19 seconds to play. Both ZahKyria Walker and Lovett had four points to lead the charge during this flurry. The Blue Streaks missed four straight free throws down the stretch to give Wilmington a chance to win it with 1.3 seconds left. However, a last second jumper wasn't meant to be as the Blue Streaks snuck away with a win.
Notables
- Cassidy Lovett scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds, giving her the first double-double of her collegiate career. This is Lovett's fourth game this season with 14 or more points and second with 21 or more points.
- Lovett also had five steals, her fifth game this season with three or more steals.
- Freshman Keetyn Hupp added 12 while junior ZahKyria Walker had 10 points.
- This is Hupp's fifth time this season scoring 12 or more points in a game and is Walker's fourth time with 10 or more points this season.
- Walker had six rebounds and Hupp added five.
What's Up Next
Wilmington heads to Earlham College for the Quaker Bowl on Monday night at 7:00 P.M. They beat Earlham last season in Hermann Court, 70-54 on December 17th, 2022.
