UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio – Mount Union women's basketball team defeated the John Carroll Blue Streaks 69-66 Wednesday night from the DeCarlo Varsity Center.

The Purple Raiders (3-4, 1-1 OAC) were led by junior Rachel Tinkey (Canfield/Canfield) who had 12 points on the night. Junior Renee DeFord (Casstown/Miami East) recorded a double-double with career highs of 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

The Blue Streaks (2-4, 0-2 OAC) got the first bucket of the game but would not regain the lead through the first quarter. The Raiders would take control of the game to kick things off and get ahead by as much as seven. With an opening quarter of 20-16, freshman Elena Rauhe (Seven Hills/Padua Franciscan) would lead both teams with seven points.

Mount Union got off and running in the second with a 12-2 run over the Blue Streaks at 32-18. John Carroll would get several inside looks and go on a run of their own to chip away at the Raiders' lead as the Streaks would close in at 34-27 with 3:31 left to play. John Carroll would continue to apply pressure as Mount Union would only be up three points with less than a minute to play. A three-pointer by Tinkey and a pair of free throws from sophomore Caitlin Tytler (North Canton/Massillon Jackson) would secure a halftime lead of 41-36 for the Raiders.

The third quarter would consist of back-and-forth scoring through four minutes of play as the Raiders and Streaks would tie at 45 points. Mount Union's inside offense would continue to be key as six-straight points in the paint by DeFord would put Mount Union ahead of John Carroll 54-51.

Defense was the answer for both teams in the final quarter. Mount Union would get the first basket of the quarter with 5:40 remaining in the game to put them ahead 56-51. After leading by as much as eight, three-point shooting by the Streaks would keep the pressure on the Raiders as the score would by 67-66 with 0:11 left on the clock. A pair of free throws from Tinkey and a steal by Rauhe would close the game out with a Purple Raider victory over the Blue Streaks with a final score of 69-66.

Mount Union is next in action Saturday, December 9 at 3:00 pm as they host No. 15 Ohio Northern.