2021 OAC Winter Championship Preview: Women's Basketball Semifinal Edition

3/4/2021 3:13:00 PM | By: Jack O'Rourke, Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Last season ended in a heartbreaking loss. This season was in doubt due to COVID-19, and once it finally arrived, the Blue Streaks played with a rather mean streak. Now the Blue Streaks are one game away from playing for an Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Championship.

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At one point this season, the Blue Streaks sat undefeated and ranked eighth in the country. News came in early that week that the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament was canceled, and the Blue Streaks dropped their first game of the season that weekend. The opponent for that contest was the Ohio Northern Polar Bears: the team that awaits the Blue Streaks tonight in the OAC Semifinal.

At every turn, the Blue Streaks have faced adversity, but to this point they have fought through and achieved the regular season OAC title and home court advantage for this week's tourney.

The 11-2 Blue Streaks went on a 3-game win streak following the loss to the Polar Bears, and the streak was good enough for the tournament's #1 seed. In the quarterfinals, the Blue Streaks handled business, as they blew out No. 8 seed Wilmington 83-53. Olivia Nagy led the way for Carroll with a double double of 17 points and 16 rebounds. Nicole Heffington and Dani Carlson also provided 13 points apiece. The Streaks shot nearly 50% from the field in the win over the Fighting Quakers.

"We are very excited to face ONU again after our previous loss to them," said Heffington. "All four years this has always been a big rivalry game to advance to the next round, so we are excited for another opportunity against them."

The pesky Polar Bears ended the regular season with a record of 5-7, but have posted two impressive wins in the play-in round and quarterfinals. The Ada natives cruised to a 73-34 win over Heidelberg in the play-in round. Emily Brock led the way with 14 points, and the Polar Bears bench was impressive as at least six reserves scored six points.

A 19-8 fourth quarter was the major factor in the Polar Bears upset of the higher-ranked Otterbein Cardinals in the quarterfinals. Kate Iliff provided 12 points, while Kasey Knippen and Annie Weckesser scored double digits coming off the bench. The Polar Bears' depth and consistent scoring from multiple areas sets up tonight's rematch at 7 P.M. at the DeCarlo Center with a trip to the championship game hanging in the balance.

In the first of the two matchups the team's played in the regular season, it was Nicole Heffington that powered the Blue Streaks to a 55-52 win. Heffington's 17 points combined with Jaylen Hoffmann's 10 points off the bench were the top scorers for the Blue Streaks. Liv Nagy led the way with 9 rebounds, while Heffington led the team with 4 assists. Brynn Serbin led the way scoring wise for the Polar Bears, while Sydney Ward and Jaidyn Hale combined for 18 points. Ward and Iliff led the way with 8 rebounds while Knippen led the team with three assists. The Blue Streaks survived by three, as the Polar Bears mishandled the inbound for a chance to tie at the buzzer. The Blue Streaks shot uncharacteristically low all across the board in the win.

In the second half of the series, the Polar Bears had their way at their home gym. The Polar Bears won 68-53, while Sydney Ward and Lexi Jacobs provided a bulk of the scoring. Weckesser and Brock also provided strong games offensively. While the Streaks typically have lights out shooting, the midseason funk continued as the Streaks shot 39.6% from the field, 26.9% from behind the arc, and 66.7% from the charity stripe. Nagy led the way with 18 points, while Heffington and Carlson provided a total of 24 points. The Blue Streaks did out rebound the Polar Bears despite the loss.

"It's an amazing opportunity to be hosting (the OAC Tournament) at home," said Coach Beth Andrews '15. "We have set ourselves up to be here, and we have a chance to do this together."

The red-hot Blue Streaks will take on the Polar Bears who seem to be peaking at the right time tonight in the quarterfinals. On the other side of the bracket, Baldwin Wallace will face Mount Union at 7 p.m. as well. The Yellow Jackets swept the regular season matchups.

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