Unlike some of the others sports teams at John Carroll, the Blue Streaks men's basketball team does not often get opportunities to play in Florida.
Perhaps that may change after day one of the 2015 Land of Magic Classic in Daytona Beach.Â
JCU scored 54 points in the first half and added 61 in the second to post a 115-94 victory over Brockport State Tuesday afternoon on the campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
This marks the third time this season that the Blue Streaks have scored 115 or more points. The only other time in the history of JCU men's basketball that 115 or more points were scored in at least three games in one season was back in 1955-56 (117 vs. Bliss College, 119 vs. Fenn College, and 115 vs. Western Reserve).
John Carroll jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the opening two minutes but the Golden Eagles pulled to within 16-15 at the 13:05 mark following a three-point play by Cordell Torres.
The Blue Streaks then used a 21-7 run over the next six minutes, capped by a three-pointer by
David Linane and free throws from
John Cirillo, to build a large cushion it would maintain the rest of the game.
JCU led 54-33 at the half, and led by as many as 35 points before settling on the 21-point final margin.
The Blue Streaks shot 42-80 (.525) from the field for the game, including 12-25 (.480) from three-point range.
In improving to 10-0 -- which is the second best start in JCU history -- the Blue Streaks were led by five players in double figures.
Simon Kucharewicz led the Blue Streaks with 19 points, Linane added 17 points, and Cirillo scored 16 off the bench.
Doug Caputo (12) and
Antonio Vuyancih (10) also reached double figures as 13 of the 17 Blue Streaks who played scored at least one basket.
Brockport (5-2) was paced by a game-high 22 points from Devon Gavin.
John Carroll's 10-0 start is currently bested only by the 2004-05 squad which started that season by winning its first 13 games.
The Blue Streaks face Bridgewater State (3-6) tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. in Dayton Beach.