Box Score John Carroll men's basketball held a brief lead in their season opener, but Mount St. Joseph jumped ahead and held the advantage the rest of the way.

The #11 Blue Streaks (0-1) fell to the Lions, 101-82, in their first matchup in the MSJ Tip-Off Classic in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Simon Kucharewicz led JCU with 20 points and 12 rebounds. David Linane, Jr. recorded 16 points, six assists and two rebounds. Off the bench, John Cirillo had 17 points and four boards. In his first career game, Ryan Berger notched 11 points.

Five different Lions were in double-figures in scoring, led by Andrew Finley and his 26 points.

JCU scored the first five points of the game, led 7-6, and tied the game at 9-9, but MSJ led for the rest of the game. John Carroll scored 44 points in the first half, but were unable to cut the deficit and MSJ held a 60-44 advantage.

Linane, Jr. scored 14 of his 16 in the first 20 minutes.

The teams battled early in the second, with JCU going on a small 10-6 run. The Blue Streaks closed within 15 points multiple times, including to 81-66. MSJ then scored nine straight points and completed a 13-2 run.

John Carroll is back in action on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. when they take on Hanover.