The Ohio Northern women got an early Christmas gift Saturday: A matchup with a John Caroll team missing its leading scorer. 

Senior guard Lee Jennings (Stow, OH, Stow-Monroe Falls) (24 points per game) sat out with a concussion, which she suffered in the Blue Streaks' upset victory over seventh-ranked Mt. Union Wednesday. 

Without Jennings and her Ohio Athletic Conference-leading scoring average, the Blue Streaks fell, 69-44, to first place Ohio Northern. 

Box Score

Ohio Northern improved to 6-1 on the year (3-0 OAC) while John Carroll fell to 5-3 overall and 1-2 in the OAC.

“It is hard without Lee,'' said freshman guard Allison Lustig (Palo Alto , CA, Archbishop Mitty), who filled in for the injured senior. “She brings a lot of opportunities for all of us.” 

Without the double-teams that Lee often draws and her ability to find open teammates for easy points, the Blue Streaks struggled. 

They shot just 29 percent from the field and scored 33 points less than their season-average (77.6). Their top scorer, Emilee Ritchie (Stow, OH, Stow - Monroe Falls ), was the only player in double figures with 10 points. 

Ohio Northern junior center Stephanie Hicks scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed a game-best 13 rebounds to lead the Polar Bears. 

It didn't help that JCU got boxed out all afternoon on both the offensive and defensive glass. An achilles heel so far this season, the Blue Streaks came into the game ranked last in the league in rebounding margin with opponents. 

Holding true to form, Ohio Northern out-rebounded JCU by a whopping 59-28 margin. JCU's offensive rebounding effort was particularly lacking, giving the Polar Bears lots of second chances. 

“Rebounding is an absolute priority for us to fix,” JCU coach Kristie Maravelli said. 

Though Ritchie led the Blue Streaks in scoring, she was off the mark from her favorite spot: the 3-point line. After a red-hot start to the season, 30-for-60 (50 percent) in 3-pointers, she went cold Saturday. She made just 1-of-6. 

“I think they were keying on my 3-point shots,'' Ritchie said. 

It didn't help that without Jennings, who often draws two defenders, Ritchie didn't have as many open shots. Nor was she able to shoot on the run in transition, which is her comfort zone. 

Lustig did her best to fill Jennings' shoes but her inexperience showed. She had three points and a turnover in 32 minutes of play. 

Lee said it was tough to sit on the sidelines. 

“It's one of my least favorite things to do,'' she said. 

The good news for the Blue Streaks? 

Jennings is expected to be back in the lineup for JCU's next game on Saturday.