Even to the casual fan, John Carroll appeared to have extra motivation in the way it went about a 96-67 win over Mount Union at the DeCarlo Varsity Center Wednesday night.
To those in the know, it was completely understood.
Box Score
In the first game between the two squads, Mount Union handed the Blue Streaks their first loss back on December 9th. In what still stands as its lowest offensive output of the year, JCU fell in Alliance by a 67-62 score.
“They beat us at their place and any time you have a two-game series like this, the team that lost the first game usually has some kind of advantage,” JCU coach Mike Moran said. “It’s a delicate thing”.
The intensity John Carroll came out with was anything but delicate as the Streaks ran out to a 25-5 lead over the first nine minutes. Sophomore Matt Crozier led the charge, scoring nine of the team’s first 11 while going 4-for-4 from the field in the first half.
From there, the Blue Streaks never looked back, taking a 48-23 lead into halftime before extending their lead to as much as 36 in the second half.
Senior forward Rudy Kirbus came off the bench to score 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting. It was a welcome sight for the preseason All-American, who had netted just 12 points on 4-16 shooting in his previous two games.
“It’s just the way basketball is,' said Kirbus. "Coach Moran is always telling us that if you’re a shooter, you have to keep shooting."
Wes Kanavel led Mount Union (8-12 overall, 6-7 OAC) with 12 points in 12 minutes. Jimmy Wood, who had torched JCU for 22 points in the first meeting between the two teams, was held to a quiet eight points.
Corey Shontz added 16 for the Blue Streaks (14-5, 10-3 OAC), who will continue their homestand against Wilmington on Saturday. The two teams will enter Saturday's match-up in University heights tied for first place in the OAC.
Moran said playing at home gives the Blue Streaks a great advantage.
“When you’re on a foreign court in a foreign land, it’s like walking around in a dark room because you’re trying to feel your way around," said Moran. "Tonight, it was good that we didn’t help them out by turning on the light.”