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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
luke chicone vs. Fredonia
Ben Peskar
Luke Chicone and the Blue Streaks rolled to an 18-0 run to doom the Blue Devils. 
68
Fredonia Fred 0-6,0-0 SUNYAC
78
Winner John Carroll JCU 5-0,0-0 OAC
Fredonia Fred
0-6,0-0 SUNYAC
68
Final
78
John Carroll JCU
5-0,0-0 OAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Fredonia Fred 26 42 68
John Carroll JCU 32 46 78

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Michael Patterson, Staff Writer

Men's Basketball Remains Unbeaten with Win on Thanksgiving Eve

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – On Thanksgiving eve, John Carroll Men's Basketball hosted Fredonia State in a rare Wednesday matinee game.

The Blue Streaks struggled to find a rhythm offensively in the early going, but found a groove just fine in the second half.

John Carroll secured a 78-68 win over Fredonia, advancing to 5-0 on the season. 

Fredonia came out in a zone early, but it didn't really faze John Carroll much, as the hosts were patient looking for good shot opportunities. The Blue Streaks made it an emphasis to get the bigs involved early, as Will Yontek and Henry Raynor combined for the Blue Streaks' first four buckets. 

As time passed in the half, John Carroll started to struggle with turnovers and shot selections. Fredonia took advantage of this, as the Blue Devils started to knock down shots and get good looks around the rim. And so, the Blue Devils managed to cut the lead to one near the end of the half. 

But John Carroll's defensive strength won out, as JCU stretched the lead to seven by the horn at the end of the first. 

Aj Knight led Fredonia State in scoring at the half with seven. Luke Chicone led the Blue Streaks with eight and a couple of dimes, as his team led 32-26 at the half.

The bigs for John Carroll put their impact on the first few minutes of the second half just like they did in the first. Yontek and Raynor combined for the Blue Streaks' first 10 points of the half. 

John Carroll came out with high energy on defense in the second half. That energy caused several Fredonia turnovers very early in the half, giving John Carroll more opportunities in offense. 

With all that being said, Fredonia State didn't back down at all. The Blue Devils showed flashes of good offense as shots started to fall for them from the perimeter. John Carroll's defense was huge in closing out the win today. 

The full court pressure applied by the Blue Streaks allowed them to force turnovers, which got the hosts going on offense. John Carroll roared on an 18-0 run beginning with a pair of Luka Eller free throws at 13:25 and ending with a Fredonia jumper at 7:05. 

Despite the big deficit, the Blue Devils didn't quit. Fredonia slimmed the margin to as little as seven points with 51 seconds left, but Chicone sank four free throws in the final minute to seal the deal. 

Chicone was great for the Blue Streaks today, as he finished with an efficient 22 points, seven assists and three steals in the 78-68 win. 

"This is a big win, and a huge learning experience," said Chicone. "It's big going into the OAC at 5-0. From here on out, we just need to keep getting better."

Yontek also contributed with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Raynor tagged along with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Luka Eller was also a boost off of the bench for John Carroll finishing with 10 points in 13 minutes. 

As a team, JCU forced 24 turnovers and outrebounded Fredonia, 34-25. JCU shot 45.2% from the field compared to 48.1% for Fredonia, as the Blue Devils stuck in it by shooting 10-of-19 from 3-point range. 

Aj Knight for Freedonia State had a game high 19 points with four assists and three steals. 

With the win, the Blue Streaks will begin conference play on December 3 with a flawless 5-0 record. The Blue Streaks last started the year at 5-0 in 2019-20, and the last time JCU won six straight to open a season was in 2015-16. 
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