Box Score

The John Carroll men's basketball team trailed for much of the game against Wilmington College Saturday afternoon, and despite repeated rallies, the Blue Streaks could not overcome the Quakers in the 70-66 loss at the DeCarlo Varsity Center.

"We made way too many mental mistakes on both ends," said JCU head coach Mike Moran.  "It's tough to win when you miss foul shots and give up uncontested lay-ups like we did today."

John Carroll was held 16 points below its season average of 82 by a Wilmington defense that smothered the perimeter, allowing the Blue & Gold to shoot just 5-of-21 (24%) from the 3-point arc.  JCU made 41% of its field goals and 57% (13-23) from the free throw line.

Moran, however, was quick to praise the Quakers.

"They're a good team, a very athletic team that played hard on every possession," he said.  "Both teams played hard, but we had opportunities to make some plays and we just didn't do it."

An early lay-up by Kyle Hubbard put the Blue Streaks ahead 5-2 with 16:54 left in the first half, a point that proved significant because it represented their last lead of the day.  With a slim 27-24 lead late in the first half, Wilmington put together a 9-2 run to head into the break with a 36-26 advantage.

After intermission, JCU scored the first seven points to pull within striking distance at 36-33.  The Quakers responded by methodically building the lead behind strong play from Malcolm Heard II (game-high 23 points) and Brandon Candella (20 points).

With 1:28 to play, the Blue & Gold staged a furious comeback behind a pair of 3-pointers from David Hendrickson to draw within one possession at 67-64 with 40 ticks on the clock.  Wilmington, however, knocked in late free throws to seal the game.

The Blue Streaks were plagued by Wilmington's 14 offensive rebounds, and an aggressive JCU defense could only produce seven steals.

Hubbard led the home team with 20 points before fouling out, and Kenny Janz chipped in 10.  John Carroll drops to an even 6-6 overall and a 3-3 record in the OAC.  The Quakers climb to 5-8, 2-4 in league play.

"We didn't exactly play Einstein basketball, that's for sure," added Moran.  "But we'll be ok.  We just need some more guys to step up to the plate."