When playing a first place team, a good shooting effort is almost a requisite if the goal is to pull off the upset. 

John Carroll did not meet this requisite Saturday afternoon, making less than 35 percent of its shots from the floor in a 70-60 loss to the Ohio Athletic Conference leading Capital Crusaders. 

Box Score 

John Carroll's first lead of the day came on the opening basket of the ball game from Caitlin Sureck. The advantage would be short-lived however. 

After scratching its way back from an early six-point deficit, John Carroll went up by one with 12:10 remaining in the opening period on a long two pointer from Lee Jennings. Soon after, Capital would regain the lead for good. 

John Carroll never threw in the towel, as the Crusaders lead did not exceed eight points in the opening half. After trading baskets down the stretch of the first half, Capital headed into the locker room with a slim 34-30 lead. 

Try as they might, the Blue Streaks could never catch the Crusaders over the final period of play. The Capital lead fluctuated between three and nine points for the first ten minutes of the second half until Kristen Richardson dropped in a lay-up to put the hosts ahead, 54-44, at the 9:27 mark. 

Two minutes later, following a Whitney Hamilton steal and fast-break lay-up, John Carroll had pulled to within five points at 56-51. 

Alas, that would be as close as the Streaks would get to the Crusaders. Sureck's layup with 3:43 to play would end up being the last field goal of the game for the blue and gold, as John Carroll shot 0-6 from the floor down the home stretch. 

Richardson, who finished with a game-high 25 points on 10-21 shooting, led Capital (17-6, 14-2 OAC) to its fifth consecutive win. Richardson also had eight boards and five assists. Abbey Winland ended up with 10 points as the only other Crusader in double figures. 

Coming off of her school record setting 39-point performance last Wednesday vs. Wilmington, Jennings led John Carroll (11-11, 8-8 OAC) with 22 points and five assists. Sureck finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, her sixth double-double effort this season and her second in as many games. 

The Blue Streaks' demise came in the form of the 3-pointer, as John Carroll connected on only one of 18 shots from long distance. 

JCU is now in sixth place in the OAC standings with two games remaining. JCU would need to win its final two games and get help from others in order to finish among the top four in the OAC and secure home court in the quarterfinal round of the upcoming conference postseason tournament.