Momentum proved to be the difference in a seesaw battle on Tuesday evening at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.

So did the play of Bluffton senior Macey Sheerer.

After keeping within striking distance over the first 17 minutes of the game, the John Carroll University women's basketball team fell victim to a 7-0 run in the final three minutes of the opening half, and a 4-0 run at the inception of the second half, forming what proved to be an insurmountable deficit in a 71-54 non-conference loss to Bluffton.

High-intensity efforts on both ends of the floor yielded seven turnovers between the two teams in the first five minutes alone. Ten lead changes, four ties and a back-and-forth flow formed a tightly contested affair right from the outset, as the Blue Streaks trailed 15-14 after one quarter.

Nicole Heffington patrolled the offensive unit with a top-of-the-key three-pointer, propelling JCU to a 21-20 lead with under seven minutes to play in the second period. The freshman sensation tallied 13 first-half points and three rebounds, putting her in line for her sixth career double-double. The production was her second highest in a half this season.

Bluffton broke out of a 28-28 deadlock courtesy of a 7-0 run heading into the intermission, fronted by Sheerer with a five-point burst in the closing moments and 20 first-half points. The Blue Streaks outrebounded the Beavers, 15-11, while the two programs combined for a 44% (4-for-9) clip from beyond the arc.

More of the same consecutive scoring carved out an 11-point advantage for Bluffton, with Kaycee Rowe tallying four straight points, forcing JCU to take a timeout with seven minutes, 44 seconds in the third quarter.

John Carroll took a bite into the opposition's lead thanks to a 5-0 rally – three-pointer from Dani Carlson and mid-range jumper from Bri Pittenger – but the Beavers notched the last five points of the period to regain the sizeable lead they had at the half.

The pendulum continued to swing towards Bluffton, as T.J. Mills scored off a steal, Nora Hemminger hit a layup at the shot-clock buzzer and the margin grew to a game-high 14 points, 57-43.

Brielle Zbydniewski splashed her second trey and Kahrin Spear recorded her sixth assist – tying her season-high set on Dec. 2 and 6 – to pull the Blue Streaks with nine points at the seven-minute mark of the fourth quarter, but the late-game surge would not be sustained. The last swing of momentum carried Bluffton to a 17-6 run that closed out the contest.

Heffington spearheaded the Blue and Gold with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Carlson and Chelbi Graham chipped in eight and six points respectively. JCU shot 42.9% from the field and won the rebounding battle, but the hard-fought attempt to end a four-game losing streak fell just short.

Sheerer, who was 8-9 from the field in the first half, led all scorers with 25 points. Rowe hadded 16 points and 12 boards as Bluffton improved to 7-1.

After the Christmas holiday, the Blue Streaks will play Saint Mary's College (IN) on Friday, December 29, at 4 p.m. and DePauw University on Saturday, December 30 at 4 p.m. as part of the Amy Hasbrook Memorial Classic on the campus of DePauw University.