UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — Baldwin Wallace had lost twice to their rivals from John Carroll this season. Thankfully, they won the only game that truly mattered.
The 14th-ranked Yellow Jackets defeated the No. 12 Blue Streaks 60-50 Saturday in the Ohio Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament's championship game, earning an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III tournament. Lilly Edwards finished with a game-high 27 points along with 10 rebounds as BW defended its title from 2020 (last year's conference tourney was canceled by COVID-19).
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Neither team shot particularly well from the field, with Baldwin Wallace posting a paltry 32% mark and John Carroll not much better at 33%. With the game tied at 22 at halftime, the Jackets were able to pull away twice with a 14-4 run in the third quarter and a 7-0 run in the fourth. Emily Irwin added 10 points off the bench for BW (21-4).
Lakewood native Olivia Nagy had 20 points and 11 boards to pace JCU (22-4), but no one else on her team could score more than seven and combined to shoot a mere 22% from the field outside of her. Despite the loss, the Blue Streaks still seem primed for an at-large tournament bid due to their high ranking and strong record.
John Carroll and Baldwin Wallace had tied for the OAC regular season championship, but JCU won both prior meetings against BW, giving it the No. 1 seed in the conference tourney and home-court advantage throughout. The Blue Streaks have not beaten the Yellow Jackets in an OAC tournament game since 2011.
The NCAA will announce its men's and women's Division III tournament brackets Monday at 2:30 p.m. This will mark the first time the tournament is played in full since 2019 after the previous two were scrapped due to the pandemic.
