An early run to begin the second half put John Carroll men's basketball in a deficit they would not recover from, as #18 Marietta College topped the Blue Streaks, 86-81, at Ban Johnson Arena in Marietta, Ohio.

The Pioneers scored the first 12 points of the second half on the way to an 18-2 run.

Simon Kucharewicz and Ryan Berger led JCU with 15 points each, with Kucharewicz adding 11 rebounds. David Linane, Jr. recorded six assists on the afternoon, tying him for the JCU career program record.

Keith Richardson topped all scorers with 27 points on the day. Four other Pioneers were in double-figures in scoring. Marietta outshot John Carroll, 44.4% to 42.1%, and outrebounded JCU, 45-41.

The teams battled early, with Marietta edging out to an 18-9 lead five minutes in. JCU then scored 18 straight points to take the lead, and extended it to a high of 34-24. The 23-6 stretch propelled JCU to a halftime lead of 44-37.

Linane had four assists at the half. Matthew Csuhran scored nine points, with Kucharewicz scoring eight.
Out of the half, Marietta went on their run, leading to a JCU timeout at 14:15. The Blue Streaks closed the gap to 62-59, and 68-66, but the Pioneers never relinquished the lead.

With 39 seconds to play, Berger hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to five, but Marietta converted the majority of their free throws down the stretch.

Off the bench, John Cirillo (13), Csuhran (11) and Caputo (10) each scored double digits.  

Up next for JCU is a road contest against Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio.