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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Chase Toppin vs. Heidelberg on 1/3/24
Sean Finucane
The Blue Streaks now stand atop the OAC standings with a 5-0 mark. 
78
Heidelberg HEID 8-4,4-1 OAC
86
Winner John Carroll JCU 11-1,5-0 OAC
Heidelberg HEID
8-4,4-1 OAC
78
Final
86
John Carroll JCU
11-1,5-0 OAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Heidelberg HEID 36 42 78
John Carroll JCU 52 34 86

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

#7 Blue Streaks Hold off Student Princes to Take Control of OAC Race

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – The first Ohio Athletic Conference matchup of 2024 for the No. 7 ranked Blue Streaks was a big one. 

Coming off a tournament win in the E.M. "Mose" Hole/Wooster Kiwanis Classic before the new year, John Carroll had a midweek date with the Student Princes of Heidelberg, where the winner would stand alone in first place in OAC play. 

Both squads played with a speed not typical for a Division III basketball game, and it proved for some exciting action, with the Blue Streaks taking control early and weathering a late storm to earn a pivotal 86-78 win at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.

Blink and you missed today's opening period. The Blue and Gold got the scoring started early with a layup in the opening seconds and subsequent inbound steal by Chase Toppin for an open layup for Luke Chicone giving the Streaks an early 4-0 lead. The Student Princes fired back quickly, but not before JCU could get another bucket, making the game 6-4. Possessions were aplenty for both teams, and so was the scoring. 

Luke Frazier seemingly had an answer for every Heidelberg run, steadying the ship for the home squad. Both teams got out and ran in transition, some possessions flying by in mere seconds, but the Blue Streaks managed to control the pace of the opening half and dictate what the Student Princes could do. 

It was a dead heat for the bulk of the first half, both teams trading buckets until the score was 25-24 in favor of the Blue Streaks. 

From that moment, the seventh ranked team in the nation took control. A flurry of three-point baskets fueled a huge JCU run, which pushed the lead as far as 46-28, with a dominant first half performance from the big three of Chase Toppin, Luke Chicone, and Luke Frazier. 

The Student Princes attempted to make runs back, but counters were always found, as the home squad went to the locker room with a commanding 52-36 lead. 

The second half felt like it was all Student Princes. From the get-go, there was a renewed intensity from the visiting team that fueled a crawl back from down double digits. 

The half opened with two quick baskets from Heidelberg and an ensuing timeout from Head Coach Pete Moran '08, and it did not do much to help the Blue Streaks, as the shots that were falling in the first half suddenly dried up, making it tough to regain that previous separation. 

Heidelberg took advantage, slowly crawling back into the contest, even having several opportunities to tie the game or take the lead, specifically a possession when the game was knotted up at 71. 

Fortunately for the Blue Streaks, that event never came to pass, as their defensive intensity began to bear fruit, only giving up 7 points in the final 5:53 of the contest. 

Execution and effort are crucial in clutch moments, and the defensive effort achieved both of those things for the Blue Streaks. 
Chase Toppin had several massive contributions late in the contest, but none were bigger than a toe tap effort to save an errant pass to keep possession with the Blue Streaks, potentially sealing the outcome of the game. 

"That play was just instinct, I gotta give credit to my brother, the football player, I had to toetap the sideline," said Toppin. "The effort was great, especially the first team off the bench, we got clutch late steals we needed. Coach Woj emphasized energy and strength, so give credit to Coach Woj as well." 

Jerry Higgins III stole an inbounds pass with less than 35 seconds left to put the game away, putting an exclamation point on the incredible defensive performance down the stretch. 

The home squad got the better of the Student Princes in the final minutes, and walked away with a huge conference win by a final score of 86-78. 

"This is what a veteran group is good for. And those veteran teams, come tournament time, can pull through in the end," said Toppin. 

A matchup like this can loom large late in a conference season, and the Blue Streaks now stand alone atop the OAC at 5-0 because of it. 

Contributions came from everywhere tonight for the Blue Streaks. Once again, it was the trio of lead guards that led the Blue Streaks, with Luke Frazier exploding for 19 first-half points and finishing with 26 total points, as well as grabbing 6 rebounds. Luke Chicone and Chase Toppin both added 16 points and 6 assists, both players distributing very well. Luka Eller and Henry Raynor both grabbed six rebounds, and Jerry Higgins III put up 7 points and a crucial steal late in the second half. 

The OAC gauntlet stops for no one, and the Blue Streaks will travel to Bexley this Saturday for their next contest, a road matchup with the Comets of Capital in a 1 pm tip-off. 
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