Box Score No matter the opponent, road games are rarely easy in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

Otterbein College proved this point tonight. The Cardinals (3-13, 2-7 OAC) gave the John Carroll University men's basketball team quite a scare at the Rike Center on Wednesday evening before the Blue Streaks buried Otterbein's hopes of an upset with a 20-2 run and an 82-75 victory.

With the JCU offense in hibernation in the first half, the Blue and Gold needed someone to step up in the second half. That someone was Joey Vuyanich.
The sophomore transfer student ended the night with a game-best 25 points, burying four 3-pointers in the second half alone. His offensive production helped the Blue Streaks advance to 11-5 overall and 5-4 in the OAC.

On the shoulders of key playmakers such as David Hendrickson and Vuyancih, the Blue and Gold mounted a furious comeback in the second half. Vuyancih
nailed back-to-back 3-pointers halfway through the second stanza, narrowing the gap to one and forcing the Cardinals to take a timeout.

The Blue Streaks regained possession of the lead at the 11:52 mark of the second half, 54-53. The Blue and Gold did not stop their offensive onslaught once they reclaimed the lead.

Before Otterbein knew what hit them, the Blue Streaks burst out to an eight-point lead, built on the back of a 20-2 run.

The Cardinals brought the game to within three, but the Blue and Gold never relinquished control of the lead. Danny Wallack hit a critical 3-pointer with 1:25 remaining to extend the lead to six, but Otterbein responded with a quick layup.

But the Blue Streaks would not allow their comeback go to waste. Vuyancih nailed a trio of late free-throws and Hollinger pick-pocketed the Cardinals
with 17 seconds left to finish off the hosts.

The Blue Streaks started out the game strong, building an early 7-0 lead. Otterbein quickly responded with an 8-0 run to take the lead, setting up a back-and-forth battle for the lead for much of the half. Neither team could hold the advantage for very long in the majority of the first half, as the lead changed hands a number of times.

The Cardinals began to take control with five minutes remaining in the period. Otterbein rolled to a 12-2 run, thanks in part to a great first half by Matt Rhodes. The freshman notched all of his 15 points in the first half.

Otterbein extended its lead to 12 with 2:30 remaining in the first half before JCU's offense began to mount a counterattack. The Blue Streaks narrowed the deficit to six in the waning seconds of the period, but Otterbein's Jake Bischoff buried a 3-pointer with just three seconds remaining to give the Cardinals a 42-33 lead heading into halftime.

The Cardinals remained stout on both ends of the court, building the lead to 49-39 five minutes in to the second stanza. But the Blue Streaks refused to give up that easily.

While Vuyancih stole the spotlight with his banner day, Jordan Murphy (14) and Jake Hollinger (12) also notched double-digit point totals. Four Cardinals posted 10 or more points on the day, but Otterbein only managed 33 points to JCU's 49 in the second half.

"We got great play out of Jordan Murphy and that got the rest of the guys going," said assitant coach Frank O'Brien.

The Blue Streaks will hit the road again on Saturday, as JCU will take on the Ohio Northern Polar Bears in Ada, Ohio at 3 p.m.