box score

After surrendering a season-high 104 points to Heidelberg Wednesday, the John Carroll Blue Streaks bounced back in a big way by holding Marietta to 45 points Saturday in an 86-45 victory over the Pioneers Saturday afternoon at the Dearlo Varsity Center.

John Carroll forced Marietta into 25 turnovers and limited the visitors to just 14 second half points as it snapped a modest two-game losing streak.

Despite the lopsided final score, early action in the game did not indicate this type of outcome. JCU raced out to a 6-0 lead after just 75 seconds of play, but Marietta weathered the storm and would fight back. When Nathan Edick made a three-pointer with 15:14 to play in the first half, he pulled the Pioneers to within one point at 13-12.

From there, John Carroll would make the first significant run of the game, a 19-0 burst that turned a one-point margin into a 32-12 rout. Rudy Kirbus began the run with six consecutive points, while Chris Zajac ended it with a pair of free throws at the 9:28 mark. In the middle, Donte Ledwell buried a trio of three-pointers while Terry Walsh added one of his own.

JCU would lead by as many as 22 points before settling on a 46-31 halftime advantage.

The best (or worst, depending on perspective) was yet to come. John Carroll would open up the second half by scoring the first 20 points. In fact, JCU accounted for 29 of the first 34 points over a 13-minute span in which all five Marietta points came via free throws. Eight different Blue Streaks scored points during the 29-5 run, led by seven from Kirbus.

Andrew Good made a lay-up with 7:05 remaining in the contest for Marietta's first field goal of the second half. By then, John Carroll had built a 75-38 lead. 

John Carroll (6-6, 3-3 OAC) was paced by 19 points from Kirbus, 12 from Ledwell and 11 from Maurice Haynes II. The Blue Streaks only shot 29-77 (.377) from the field, but had a good afternoon behind the three-point arc as they hit 9-21 (.429). John Carroll also won the rebounding battle, 53-40, on the strength of 24 offensive rebounds.

Marietta (4-9, 0-6 OAC) was led by eight points apiece from Good and Isaiah Creasap. Adam Rockhold had a game-high nine rebounds. The Pioneers were 13-45 (.289) from the field for the game, including 3-16 (.188) in the final 20 minutes.