A record-tying 17 three-point field goals propelled John Carroll to a 120-106 win over Centenary Saturday in the first round of the eighth annual Radisson Invitational Saturday evening in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Box Score
With the victory, JCU advances to the championship game Sunday where it will face the host school, the University of Scranton, beginning at 4:00 p.m.
On several occasions throughout the game, the #2 ranked Blue Streaks would extend their lead to large margins only to have Centenary close the gap.
JCU's first big run was the start of the contest.
Michael Hartnett (North Royalton, OH, Lakewood St. Edward) three-pointer at the 12:38 mark of the opening period staked John Carroll's advantage to 25-11. Two minutes later, Ryan Donovan's tip-in sliced the lead to eight points.
Toward the end of the half, a
Joe Meyer (Mentor, OH, Mentor) jumper put John Carroll on top by a 47-29 count with 5:50 remaining. The Cyclones responded to their largest deficit of the opening period by scoring the next ten points. Rob Urie's free throws at the 3:03 mark put the score at 47-39.
John Carroll ultimately took a 56-44 advantage into the intermission.
The Blue Streaks led by as many as 21 points in the early stages of the second half, and still led by 20 when
Matt Crozier (Philadelphia, PA, LaSalle College) split a pair of free throws with 12:47 remaining in regulation. But back-to-back threes by Mike Lovett and Ryan Kearney sparked a 16-0 run that stunned the JCU faithful and had Centenary thinking upset.
Shortly after Max Hughes made two free throws to make the score 84-80 with 10:19 left, Crozier and
Chris Zajac (Brecksville, OH, Brecksville-Broadview Heights) accounted for all of John Carroll's points in a 10-2 run that pushed the lead back to double digits for the Streaks.
That was where the lead would stay for the last 8:35 of the contest, going as high as 19 before settling upon the 14-point final margin.
John Carroll (2-0) was led by a herculean 22-point, 15-rebound effort by Crozier. Zajac added 19 points thanks to a 5-7 effort from beyond the arc.
Rudy Kirbus (Willoughby Hills, OH, Cleveland St. Ignatius) and
Corey Shontz (Andover, OH, Pymatuning Valley) chipped in 14 points, while Meyer and
Tommy Lavelle (Westlake, OH, Westlake) added 11 points as six Blue Streaks reached double figures.
The 17 three-pointers matched the effort turned in by the Blue Streaks when they visited Muskingum back on December 11, 2002.
Centenary (0-2) was led by Kearney, who finished the day with 35 points and 16 rebounds, both game highs.
