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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Team MBB vs. BW
Ben Peskar
The Blue Streaks rallied ferociously late but ran out of time. 
94
John Carroll JCU 21-3,15-2 OAC
99
Winner Baldwin Wallace BW 12-12,8-9 OAC
John Carroll JCU
21-3,15-2 OAC
94
Final
99
Baldwin Wallace BW
12-12,8-9 OAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
John Carroll JCU 38 56 94
Baldwin Wallace BW 50 49 99

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

#6 Men's Basketball Claws Back Late, But Can't Fend off Yellow Jackets in Berea

BEREA, Ohio – Less than a week removed from a thrilling 95-89 overtime comeback against the Polar Bears of Ohio Northern, the Blue Streaks traveled across town to face the Yellow Jackets of Baldwin Wallace. Similar to Saturday, the home squad threw haymaker after haymaker at the Blue & Gold, but unlike in Ada, it was too much to handle today. 

Despite a furious 21-point comeback in the last 10 minutes of the second half, #6 JCU fell just short against Baldwin-Wallace, falling 99-94 in an Ohio Athletic Conference upset. 
    
Once again, the Blue Streaks were hammered in the first half. The Yellow Jackets wasted no time jumping on a normally slow first-half road squad in the Blue Streaks, quickly jumping out to a double digit lead at 26-15 in the first ten minutes of the opening frame. The visitors responded with a 15-10 surge that brought them to within six a 36-30, but an 8-0 run by BW stretched the lead to 14. 

Both teams would play even in the closing minutes of the half, and the Yellow Jackets maintained a 12 point lead going into halftime. 

The first 10 minutes of the second half saw much of the same for both sides. Initially, a burst by the Yellow Jackets put them up 71-50 with 14 minutes remaining. By the halfway point of the second half, the Blue Streaks had clawed to within 16, but it didn't look good for the Blue and Gold. 
    
The next 10 minutes of basketball is a stretch that's difficult to describe, but the best way to put it may be likening it to Rocky Balboa, getting back up on a 9 count and turning the tide of a fight. 

Slowly but surely, JCU scratched, fought, and clawed their way back into what felt like a hopeless contest. But claw they did. 

Luke Chicone and Jerry Higgins III turned up the intensity in a huge way on both sides of the ball, Chicone knifing his way through the BW defense for layups, and Higgins making a big shot on one end and forcing a stop on the other end. As time wore on, the Blue Streaks continued to shrink the lead incrementally, cutting it to 15, 12, 9, 6, and so forth. A Will Yontek and-one put the Blue Streaks to within two, the closest they would get in the final frame. 

From top to bottom, everyone on the floor in the final 10 minutes left everything out there, and the resiliency shown by the Blue & Gold was indescribable, magical even. However, it wasn't enough, as Anthony Mazzeo kept the Yellow Jackets afloat, pouring in 39 huge points in perhaps the best game of his career, and clutch free throws in the final seconds gave BW the win. 
    
Luke Chicone once again paced the Blue Streaks in scoring with 19 points, also adding 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Luke Frazier's prolific scoring returned late in the second half, as he contributed 14 points and 5 rebounds. Higgins' impact went way beyond the box score tonight, but his 15 points came at crucial moments, and his verbal leadership galvanized the squad. Luka Eller had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Will Yontek once again played a massiverole down the stretch, scoring 12 crucial points. 
    
The Blue Streaks will travel to Wilmington to take on the Fighting Quakers this Saturday. A win would grant JCU a share of the OAC regular season title, as well as home court advantage throughout the tournament. 
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