The John Carroll University men's basketball team used a late burst the open the 2018-19 campaign with a victory against Johnson and Wales on Friday night at the Buffalo State Coles Classic in Buffalo, New York. 

The #20 ranked Blue Streaks defeated the Wildcats 88-79 in a game that had no shortages of what JCU does best, the three ball.
 
Sophomores Jackson Sartain and Luke Hippler led John Carroll in three balls, recording five and three respectively. Sean Flannery and Ben Merril also combined for three more shots from beyond the arc.
 
The Blue Streaks held their own in the first half, taking a lead as high as 10 over the Wildcats. JWU would then answer back with a 10-2 scoring run to make the score 28-26 with just under nine minutes to play in the opening half. Shots from Jimmy Berger, Jimmy Berger, Flannery, Parella, and Sartain would keep the Wildcats at bay, with John Carroll taking a 44-38 lead at halftime.
 
The Wildcats did not back down in the second half. JWU would lead at various junctures of the second 20 minutes, but could never get a lead larger than three points.

The game was tied 76-76 with 3:29 to play, but John Carroll managed to score 12 of the final 15 points if the contest. A Sartain lay-up, a Merril three ball, and a Stokes basket helped seal the deal.

Jimmy Berger led the Blue Streak offense with 23 points, while Sartain followed with 19 and Flannery chipped in 10. Flannery also finished with team highs in assists (10) and steals (5).  
 
As a team, John Carroll shot .421 from the field and .355 from beyond the arc.
 
With the win, the Blue Streaks hold a 1-0 record on the season.

John Carroll will next face Buffalo State tomorrow, November 17, on the final day of the Buffalo State Coles Classic. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.