By: Athletic Communications Student Assistant Joe Meyer '24

BEREA, Ohio - The No. 10 nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball team rolled to a convincing 81-60 win over crosstown rival John Carroll University in an Ohio Athletic Conference in the Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center. The Yellow Jackets led from wire-to-wire in a rematch of the previous three OAC Tournament Championship games. 

BW (15-1, 8-1 OAC) was led by sophomore guard Bella Vaillant (Perrysburg) as she recorded a game-high 14 points and six rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. On the boards, sophomore forward Caely Ressler (Napoleon) notched a game-high seven rebounds and added nine points. Senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC guard Megan Hensel (Upper Sandusky) posted 11 points and six rebounds, and sophomore guard Emily Irwin (Pickerington/Pataskala Watkins Memorial) also cracked double digits with 10 points. 

JCU (8-8, 3-6 OAC) was led by senior forward Kaelyn Underwood's team-high 14 points and four rebounds. Freshman guard Bella Carciopollo led the Blue Streaks on the boards, tallying a team-high six rebounds in addition to her seven points. 

FIRST HALF

• Vaillant scored three times in the opening five minutes as BW jumped out to a 10-3 lead.
• The BW defense held JCU without a field goal in the first quarter, and the Yellow Jackets finished the quarter on a 14-0 run to take an 18-3 lead after one.
• Senior Academic All-OAC guard Regan Schill (Sheffield Village/Elyria Catholic) connected from behind the arc with 2:03 remaining in the half to cap off a 21-point second quarter for the Yellow Jackets, and BW took a 39-23 lead into the break. Schill tallied a career-high nine points in the contest, shooting a perfect 3-3 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line.
• BW's defense forced 13 first-half turnovers and held the Blue Streaks to a 22% clip from the field in the opening 20 minutes. 

SECOND HALF

• Irwin's layup with 3:06 left in the third quarter sparked a 7-1 run that extended BW's lead to 62-42.
• BW tallied 27 third-quarter points en route to a 66-47 advantage through three quarters.
• The Yellow Jackets opened the fourth quarter on a 14-4 run, building a 29-point lead with 6:33 to play.
• Ten BW players etched their name into the scoring column in the second half, as BW closed out the 81-60 victory.

The Yellow Jackets return to action on Saturday, January 21 as they are on the road to take on Wilmington College in the second game of an OAC men's and women's doubleheader. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m. inside Fred Raizk Arena.