CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. - John Carroll held off a furious rally to defeat Texas Lutheran in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament in Crestview Hills, Ky. on the campus of Thomas More College. Mel Dixon (TLU) Interview

After trailing by 17 with nine minutes remaining, Texas Lutheran cut the lead to six points with under three minutes to go, but timely shooting from John Carroll was enough to hold off the Bulldogs' rally and secure the 74-62 victory.

John Carroll raced out to a 22-10 lead to open the contest, thanks in large part to the production of the third-leading scorer in the nation, senior Melissa Spahar. The Bulldogs battled back to get the game back down to four (34-30) thanks to a collective team effort on the offensive end. 

But as quickly as TLU cut into the lead, the Blue Streakers used an 8-0 run to end the first half to take a 42-30 lead into the halftime lockeroom and then scored the first four points of the second half to extend what had been a four-point game to a 16-point game early in the second half. During the first half, the Blue Streakers shot an impressive 48,5 percent from the field to the Bulldogs' 39.3 percent.

John Carroll extended its lead to as many as 17 points with under 10 minutes to go and looked to be in control.

Texas Lutheran, however, would not go away and the Bulldogs used a 20-9 run over the course of the next seven minutes to make it a game again at 68-62 with 2:57 remaining.

A huge layup on its ensuing possesion and some big defensive stops down the stretch was more than enough as John Carroll held on for the victory and moved on to second round.

Sophomore Taylor Dydalewicz led Texas Lutheran with 17 points and eight boards. Freshman Savannah Hight added 15 points while freshman Kristen Lye added 14. The Bulldogs struggled from the field, shooting only 37.3 percent, including 20.0 percent from behind the arch. 

John Carroll was led by Melissa Spahar, who had 20 points and pulled down 10 boards. After a big first half by the nation's third-leadin scorere, TLU did a much better defensive job on the senior in the second half, holding her to only four points. Allison Lustig added 18 points for the Blue Streakers including four three-pointers and Emily Taylor and Katlyn Spahar added 14 points each.

The Blue Streakers shot 44.3 percent from the field including a blistering 48.5 percent in the first half. They also had 21 assists on 27 buckets.

Texas Lutheran ends its magical season with a 23-6 record (a school record in wins), the program's first SCAC Championship in its first year in the conference, and the first trip to the NCAA Tournament in school history.