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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Jerry Higgins III and Eric Hanna pose with two award presenters from Wheaton's 1957 NCAA College Division Championship team, Mel Peterson and Roy Roe (Wheaton Sports Information).
Jerry Higgins III and Eric Hanna pose with two award presenters from Wheaton's 1957 NCAA College Division Championship team, Mel Peterson and Roy Roe (Wheaton Sports Information).
60
Winner John Carroll JCU 4-0,0-0 OAC
56
Wheaton (IL) WHEIL 3-1,0-0 CCIW
Winner
John Carroll JCU
4-0,0-0 OAC
60
Final
56
Wheaton (IL) WHEIL
3-1,0-0 CCIW
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
John Carroll JCU 35 25 60
Wheaton (IL) WHEIL 32 24 56

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Deuce Zak, Staff Writer

Men's Basketball Wins the Crown at the Lee Pfund Classic, Downing Wheaton

WHEATON, Ill. -- On day two of the Lee Pfund Classic, a beautiful Saturday evening, four schools once again went to battle, and both matches of the tournament came down to the final seconds. 

The Panthers of Hanover College eked out a 3 point win against the Falcons of UWRF, whom the Blue Streaks beat the previous evening. The fans came out in droves for the final game of the evening, as the Blue Streaks of JCU took the floor against Wheaton, a team ranked #24 in the nation in the first preseason poll by D3hoops.com.

Coming into the evening, one thing was clear for both sides: defense was going to decide the outcome of the game. Both teams came out in kind, battling like gladiators on both sides of the ball. In the end, the Blue Streaks were able to get stops when it mattered, and nabbed a signature early season win over the Thunder, with a final score of 60-56.

The first half gave all 704 fans in King Arena exactly what they were looking for: a dogfight between two high-level basketball teams. 

Henry Raynor was the big story of the first half for the Blue Streaks, paving the way early for the offense by getting to the rim and being a presence on the glass. Luke Chicone also played a big part in stoking the offensive flames, with several great passes inside once again, giving the Blue Streaks tons of scoring opportunities. 

The Thunder weren't ones to shy away, however, as Wheaton constantly hounded the Blue and Gold on defense, and would find crafty ways to score late in the shot clock. Wheaton and JCU traded buckets throughout the half, prompting several ties and lead changes through the first twenty minutes of play. The Blue and Gold held firm, however, and went to the locker room with a 35-32 lead. 

Much like the first half, the second half saw both teams continuing to fight like hell on both sides of the ball. The Blue Streaks and the Thunder turned the defensive intensity up to 11 in the second frame, with both teams scoring under 30 points in the half. The stars shined the brightest in the second half for both squads. 

Luke Frazier got in his groove in the second half, once again leading the way in scoring for the Blue Streaks, seemingly always responding when Wheaton would put together several good possessions. Tyson Cruickshank also led the charge for the Thunder, always commanding the JCU defense's attention and finding the open man. 

For much of the second half, the Blue Streaks weren't able to take a lead larger than 5, with Wheaton always getting a stop or bucket when they needed it. However, the Blue Streaks managed to net themselves a 9 point lead with 9 minutes left in the half, and wouldn't give the lead back to Wheaton. 

Despite being outscored 12-7 in the final 9 minutes, the Blue Streaks weathered a late storm by the Thunder, and with outstanding defensive contributions from Luke Frazier, Luke Chicone, Jerry Higgins III, and Will Yontek, the Blue Streaks got two crucial stops to close out the game, sealing the four-point, 60-56 win for the Blue and Gold. 

The Luke's were the stars of this weekend, with Chicone earning all tourney honors, and Frazier being named the tournament MVP. 

In the locker room postgame, Head Coach Pete Moran ended his postgame speech with his signature line  "Play my theme music, Deuce!" Postgame pizza never tasted so good. 
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