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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Luke Frazier vs. MTU on 12-4-24
Jose Figueroa
93
Winner Mount Union MTU 4-2,1-0 OAC
82
John Carroll JCU 3-3,0-1 OAC
Winner
Mount Union MTU
4-2,1-0 OAC
93
Final
82
John Carroll JCU
3-3,0-1 OAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Mount Union MTU 47 46 93
John Carroll JCU 41 41 82

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Riley Knapp, Staff Writer

Mount Union Topples #24 Men's Basketball in OAC Opener

Luke Frazier notched 33 points, but JCU couldn't overcome Mount Union's hot shooting

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS -- In the first Ohio Athletic Conference matchup of the season, the Blue Streaks fell to the Mount Union Purple Raiders, 93-82.

With the defeat, John Carroll Men's Basketball drops to 3-3 on the season with its third straight defeat. 

While dealing with injuries, the Blue Streaks fought hard but could not overcome a stout Purple Raiders team. 

Throughout the first 20 minutes, JCU and MTU went back and forth on the court, matching blow for blow. But the Purple Raiders started to open up a slight lead, and built it to double digits before John Carroll started chipping away down the stretch. A pair of jumpers by Luke Frazier slimmed the deficit to five points with 1:38 left in the first half, leading to a Mount Union timeout. 

But despite Frazier's strong efforts down the stretch, the Purple Raiders did enough to head into halftime with a two-possession lead, 47-41. 

Consistently making key plays throughout the first half for John Carroll was also David Gentry, who put up 8 points for the Blue Streaks, as well as Henry Raynor who put up 6. The super senior duo worked all over the court, making plays happen in moments when the Blue Streaks needed them most. 

John Carroll continued to fight into the second half, as the hosts made the first basket after the whistle. Making some of the first clutch plays moving into the new half was Jack Zapolnik, putting two layups into the net early on. Frazier also drained a 3-pointer three minutes in, causing the Purple Raiders to call a timeout to regroup, as JCU took its first lead in a white, 50-48. 

The Blue Streaks continued to put their foot on the gas, as Chase Topper sank a 3-pointer at the 13-minute mark. Omar Abuhamdeh got the crowd on their feet by putting in a clean 3 pointer near the halfway point of the period, slimming the margin to just one point. A timeout was called, as the Blue Streaks headed the bench firing on all cylinders. 

Coming out of the break, Mount Union started to find momentum. The Purple Raiders slowly increased the lead, as JCU could not find answers on offense. The visitors' lead hit double digits thanks to a 3-pointer at the 4:15 mark, which seemed to sink any remnants of a comeback for John Carroll. 

For some bright spots, JCU shot 86.4% from the free throw line, going 19-of-22. From the field, the Blue Streaks converted 45.9% of their shots, including the 7 triples, but Mount Union managed to convert 13-of-25 shots from downtown. That was the difference, as JCU narrowly outscored Mount Union in the paint, 36-34. This despite foul trouble for several of JCU's bigs. 

Frazier ended the night with 33 points on the board, finishing as the lead scorer for the game. David Gentry tallied 12 points and Henry Raynor notched 10. 

Next Up
The Blue Streaks will take on Ohio Northern University in the DeCarlo Varsity Center in a regular season matchup on Saturday, December 7 at 4 pm. 
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