Ohio Northern ONU 6-2,1-1 OAC

John Carroll JCU 3-4,0-2 OAC

Ohio Northern ONU

6-2,1-1 OAC

Final

Dec. 07, 2024

John Carroll JCU

3-4,0-2 OAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Ohio Northern ONU	48	37	85
John Carroll JCU	47	37	84

Summary
Box Score

Jose Figueroa

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 12/7/2024 7:14:00 PM | Jack Stephens, Staff Writer

Men's Basketball Can't Claw Past Ohio Northern, as Late Comeback Falls Short

JCU wore retro jerseys on a festive Saturday in University Heights

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS — A late comeback bid came up just a bit short for John Carroll Men's Basketball at home on Saturday afternoon.

The Blue Streaks dropped their second straight game at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center, this time to Ohio Northern, 85-84.

The Blue Streaks came into this contest on a three-game skid, losing the Ohio Athletic Conference opener to rival Mount Union, 93-82. Looking to reclaim some momentum and even their record in conference play with a home victory, the Blue & Gold were faced with a tough take: Ohio Northern squad that has lost only two games, both by two points.

It was a back and forth affair to start the game, as both teams traded buckets. ONU started to pull away at the first media timeout, draining four triples in the first seven minutes. However, two free throws from Luke Frazier and a pair of layups from Sean Collins and Chase Toppin regained a Blue Streak lead at 20-16.

Ohio Northern swiftly answered with a 10-0 run, forcing a Blue Streak timeout with a 26-20 advantage. A jumper from Will Yontek and a great finish through contact from Jack Zapolnik trimmed the lead, but all the Polar Bears did was answer JCU buckets. Toppin put an end to John Carroll's cold stretch from deep, as the Blue Streaks trimmed the lead down to five. Collins started to take control offensively for the Blue Streaks, as he brought JCU within one with two straight layups.

Combating ONU's offense, Chase Toppin then connected on another three, and after an ONU turnover, senior forward Henry Raynor cashed his third triple of his career from half court, finishing an exciting first half that saw the Polar Bears just ahead, 48-47.

Freshman Will Miller led the way offensively for the Polar Bears with 12 points, all coming from beyond the arc, ONU as a team went 8-of-18 from deep in the first half.

For the Blue Streaks, Toppin and Raynor combined for 21 of JCU's 47 points. Senior David Gentry played efficient minutes off the bench scoring 8 points on 4-of-5 shooting, and grabbing 3 boards. Collins tied a season high for points in the first half with 6 points on perfect 3-of-3 shooting.

Raynor started off the second half hot, with a tip in off a Yontek miss, but once again the Polar Bears instantly responded with a three from Carter Reese. The Raynor takeover continued as he threw down a thunderous dunk off a great feed from Toppin. Then after a steal from Frazier, Raynor finished through contact for the and-one. On the other end, Raynor swatted away a Polar Bear layup attempt, stealing a possession for JCU.

ONU did not panic, as great ball movement led to a wide open three pointer that was cashed in from Mason Studer. On their next possession, Jadi Cunningham Jr. finished a 12 foot jumper, giving the Polar Bears a 59-53 lead at the first second half media timeout. The threes for ONU continued to rain as Noah Langford drilled the Polar Bears' 11th make of the game.

Both squads matched buckets for some time, as ONU maintained their significant lead. Chase Toppin started to give the Blue Streaks some momentum with a three-point play to cut the lead to six, followed quickly by a steal and finish from Luke Frazier.

And just like that, the JCU crowd was back into the game. After an ONU timeout, the Polar Bears got two layups to get back ahead by eight. An ONU triple pushed the lead to 10 points with 1:59 to play.

But JCU started to claw their way back into this game, as Toppin split a pair from the line and hit a three to cut the lead to three with 33 seconds to play. On the ensuing Polar Bear possession, JCU got another steal and Toppin flew down the floor making a layup, making it 85-84 ONU. After a foul on JCU, the Polar Bears missed their free throw and Kasey Hunt grabbed the board and the possession arrow pointed in favor of JCU. Toppin received the inbound and put up the shot at the buzzer and couldn't get it to fall.

Miller finished with a team-high 21 points and 5 three for the Polar Bears. Three other players finished in double figures for ONU, as they finished with 12 triples as a team.

Chase Toppin finished with a game-high 22 points and 2 assists, doing anything he could to bring JCU back. Henry Raynor finished with a season-high 19 points and 7 rebounds. Gentry had 14 points off the bench on 6-of-7 shooting.

Next Up
The Blue Streaks will have a week off ahead of their next matchup on Saturday, December 14 against the Marietta Pioneers at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.

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