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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Eric Hanna vs. ONU
Monica McKie
The Blue Streaks came up just short of besting the Polar Bears. 
74
Winner Ohio Northern ONU 9-12,3-11 OAC
71
John Carroll JCU 7-13,2-11 OAC
Winner
Ohio Northern ONU
9-12,3-11 OAC
74
Final
71
John Carroll JCU
7-13,2-11 OAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Ohio Northern ONU 34 40 74
John Carroll JCU 35 36 71

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Noah Tylutki '21, Graduate Assistant

Men's Basketball Comes Oh So Close to Besting ONU at the DeCarlo Center

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Like any great basketball game, intensity and physicality were on full display in John Carroll's first game against Ohio Northern since their 80-79 loss in last season's OAC Quarterfinal game.

However, a strong second half on both sides of the ball from the Polar Bears propelled them to a 74-71 victory over JCU.  The team has now lost six straight games, which is their worst streak since 2006.  

The Blue Streaks started the game off hot as they hit three triples in the first five minutes to take an 11-7 lead.

A CJ Napier three pointer for ONU tied it up at 17-17 with 10:57 left in the half, but John Carroll nailed four more shots from beyond the arc in the next eight minutes to take a 35-28 advantage with 3:33 remaining in the stanza.

Ohio Northern fought back and ended the half on a 6-0 run as the Blue Streaks clung to a 35-34 halftime lead.

The Polar Bears picked up the intensity in the second half and took their first lead of the contest since the early seconds of the first half on a Michael Berner layup to make it 40-39 with 16:51 left in the game.

John Carroll slowly clawed its way back in what was turning into a back and forth affair and tied it at 58-58 with a Blake Booker jumper with just over 11 minutes remaining.

After 2:01 without a single basket for either side, the Blue Streaks finally broke through on a Connor O'Toole layup to take a 60-58 lead.

JCU would add a PJ Flannery triple moments later to extend their lead to five, but the Polar Bears answered with an incredible 14-0 run and took control 72-63 with just under two minutes remaining.

The Blue Streaks made it interesting as they forced two turnovers and cashed in on two pairs of free throws to make it a one possession game with 44 seconds left.  However, a Brandon Waugh jumper with time expiring on the shot clock put the nail in the coffin for ONU.  The Polar Bears have now won two consecutive games in University Heights, which has not happened since 2000.

After taking the lead for good with 5:36 left, Ohio Northern's defense clamped down and held JCU to 2/12 shooting with three blocks in the timeframe.

John Carroll's three point shooting also dwindled in the second half as they connected on just 17.6% of their attempts compared to 50% in the first.

Eric Hanna had a game-high 20 points while Jackson Sartain and Flannery added 14 and 12, respectively for JCU.

Waugh, Berner, and Landen Long each scored 15 and CJ Napier recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds for ONU.

The Blue and Gold will play host to crosstown-rival Baldwin Wallace next on Wednesday, February 16 at 7pm and try to avenge their 101-64 defeat from earlier this season.
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