Box Score After a heartbreaking 92-91 overtime loss to Centre College last night, John Carroll's men's basketball team needed a convincing victory against Miami Hamilton in the consolation game of the Mount St. Joseph Invitational. 

And thanks to a strong first half and a dominating rebounding performance, the Blue Streaks got exactly that with a 95-73 win and a third place finish.

Box Score

Senior guards Corey Shontz and Michael Hartnett piloted the Blue and Gold, which jumped out to a 49-32 halftime lead and never looked back.  Shontz finished with 19 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds, and was named to the All-Tournament team. 

Hartnett cashed in on four three-pointers on his way to 16 points and nine rebounds.  He was quick to deflect praise for his hot shooting. 

"Corey [Shontz] is our leader out there," Hartnett said.  "Our offense is pretty balanced and Corey does a good job of finding the open guy, whoever it is."

The Blue Streaks also took advantage of the glass with 55 rebounds for the game, including 30 in the first half to set the tone.

"Coach Moran emphasized in our shoot-around today that we need to work the ball inside to [Kyle] Hubbard and [Kenny]Janz more often," said assistant coach Frank O'Brien. "We need to be more balanced offensively and get more touches to our big guys. If we're going to be competitive in the Ohio Athletic Conference, we have to get those guys involved."

The plan worked, as the numerous rebounds led to more scoring opportunities that John Carroll was able to capitalize on repeatedly.  Hubbard scored 12 points in the paint on 8-10 shooting from the free throw line.

Derek Brockman led Miami Hamilton with 18 points, and Cameron Jones chipped in 17.

After tonight, the Blue Streaks will battle Alma College in the Spalding Thanksgiving Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky on November 25.  Tip-off will be at 5:00 p.m.

"We finally got the taste of victory," said Hartnett. "It felt good to win a game after two tough exhibitions and an overtime loss last night."