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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Blake Booker shot
Aislyn McQueen
Blake Booker enjoyed a breakout day with 14 points. 
81
Winner Otterbein OTT 10-3,4-2 OAC
75
John Carroll JCU 6-4,1-3 OAC
Winner
Otterbein OTT
10-3,4-2 OAC
81
Final
75
John Carroll JCU
6-4,1-3 OAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Otterbein OTT 32 49 81
John Carroll JCU 29 46 75

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Luke Potosky, Senior Staff Writer

Men's Basketball Drops First Game of 2022 Despite a Gritty Effort

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Playing their first home game of 2022, the John Carroll Men's Basketball team faced a steep challenge from the trending Otterbein Cardinals.

Despite being undermanned and giving their best efforts for all 40 minutes, the Blue Streaks fell short of victory, 81-75, on January 12 at Mike Moran Court in the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center. 

With the loss, JCU falls to 6-5, and Otterbein improves to 10-3, their best record in at least a decade.

A back and forth first half saw the lead trade hands multiple times as the teams traded runs. A trio of three-pointers from Blake Booker and three early field goals from Hugh Brown and David Gentry paced the Blue Streaks. However, the Blue & Gold found themselves trailing 32-29 after the first 20 minutes.

The second half saw just as many ebbs and flows in terms of defensive stops and offensive runs from both sides. A Blake Booker and-one off a free throw kept the Blue Streaks within a point at 46-45, and highlighted JCU's gritty effort inside the three-point line to begin the half.

However, a 13-4 run by Otterbein gave the Cardinals their largest lead of the game at 59-49. Nevertheless, the Blue Streaks didn't give up, as they went on a 14-6 run of their own, capped by an Omar Abuhamdeh layup which made it a 65-63 Otterbein lead.

But a couple of back-breaking threes from the Cardinals near the end of regulation diminished the chances of a Blue & Gold comeback.

Play on both sides was physical as the two teams combined for 30 fouls in the second half alone and 42 overall. The Cardinals shot 11-of-27 (40.7%) from behind the arc, and the Blue Streaks shot 23-for-30 (76.7) from the free throw line.

William Wallace (14), Blake Booker (14), David Gentry (12), Hugh Brown (12), and Jackson Sartain (10) all finished in double-figures for the Blue & Gold. Jake Justice (14), Brennan Rains (14), and Cam Evans (13) paced the Cardinals. Otterbein snapped a 5-game losing streak vs. JCU. John Carroll still owns a 46-26 series advantage. 

JCU is back in action on Saturday, January 15 as they travel to Wilmington College in hopes of a bounce-back victory.
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