The Lady Bearcats saw their winning streak snapped at five, falling 77-71 in a back-and-forth affair at John Carroll University.

Maria Baroffio scored 15 points to lead SVC, while teammate Melissa Mansur added 13, but the Lady Bearcats connected on just 35 percent (24-67) from the field and saw the host Blue Streaks score eight of the game's final 10 points to earn the win.

The visitors came out flat in the opening half, watching John Carroll jump out to an 11-4 lead four minutes in.  SVC then regrouped, eventually tying the game at 17 with nine minutes left in the half on a pair of free throws from Brittany Sedlock.

Again, the Blue Streaks went on another run, scoring the game's next 10 points to go ahead 27-17 with just under six minutes remaining in the half.  SVC charged back, with Mansur scoring six points and Sedlock four over the final two minutes of the half to spur a 17-7 SVC run that sent the game into halftime tied at 34.

The hosts again surged out of the gates to open the second half, using a 12-5 run over the first five minutes to go ahead 46-39.   The Blue Streak lead eventually reached eight - 59-51 - at the midway point of the half, before SVC mounted anoter charge, led by Baroffio.

The senior scored 10 points in two-minute span, pulling the Lady Bearcats to within four at 62-58.  A pair of freshmen then came up bit, with Mansur cutting the deficit to one with a long three-pointer, followed by a pair of jumpers by Megan DePrimio that gave SVC its first lead of the night, 65-64, with 5:30 remaining in regulation.

The two teams then traded baskets over the next three minutes, sharing a trio of leads, before a three from JCU put the hosts up 71-69 with 2:12 left.  SVC's Emily Fenton quickly countered with a baseline jumper at the 1:45 mark, tying it up once again.

The Blue Streak defense, however, forced a pair of SVC turnovers on ensuing possessions in the final minute.  Forced to foul, the Lady Bearcats saw JCU hit five foul shots over the last 50 seconds to seal the wild 77-71 win.

Sedlock was a third Lady Bearcat in double figures on the scoresheet, adding 10 points and nine rebounds, while Devin McGrath added nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds.  DePrimio, in her college debut, bucketed eight points, going 2-for-2 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.

While the Lady Bearcats struggled from the floor, JCU hit on 56 percent of their attempts (27-for-48), including a blistering 72 percent (13-for-18) over the final 20 minutes.  SVC did manage to force 27 JCU turnovers and picked up 16 steals, with Kathy Bianco pocketing five thefts and Fenton four.

John Carroll was led on the scoresheet by Sadie Zander, who finished with 20 points, while Lee Jennings added 18 and Katie Knox 12. 

The defeat drops SVC's record to 6-2 on the year, while the Blue Streaks improve to 5-5.  The Lady Bearcats will now face a quick turnaround before r eturning to action on Wednesday afternoon, traveling to LaRoche College for a 4pm contest.

PHOTO:  SVC's Megan DePrimio finished with eight points, on a 2-for-2 effort from the floor and a 4-for-4 showing from the foul line, in the Lady Bearcats' defeat at John Carroll.