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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Connor O’Toole, Jerry Higgins III, Luka Eller, and Deuce Zak on Senior & Graduate Day
Jose Figueroa
Luka Eller, Jerry Higgins III, Deuce Zak, and Connor O’Toole were honored on a special Senior & Graduate Day for JCU.
54
Capital CAP 16-9,10-8 OAC
74
Winner John Carroll JCU 23-2,17-1 OAC
Capital CAP
16-9,10-8 OAC
54
Final
74
John Carroll JCU
23-2,17-1 OAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Capital CAP 26 28 54
John Carroll JCU 25 49 74

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

#1 Blue Streaks Roar in Second Half for Senior & Graduate Day Victory

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS -- A snowstorm hit University Heights on the final weekend of regular season Ohio Athletic Conference play, with a lot of playoff positions on the line on the final day. The Blue Streaks managed to stay warm despite the cold conditions, going on an incredible second half run to outshine the Capital Comets, 74-54. 

The win this weekend locks in the best regular-season record for the Blue Streaks in the OAC era with a 17-1 mark, and equals last year's win total with 23 wins. 

The Blue Streaks held their annual Senior/Graduate Day festivities on Saturday, honoring 4 outstanding men and their contributions to the program and the school. Connor O'Toole, Jerry Higgins III, Luka Eller, and Deuce Zak were all honored today with a pregame ceremony. 
    
It may not have been cold in the DeCarlo Center, but it was a cold shooting first half for both teams. The Streaks struggled mightily to get anything going early on, not scoring for three minutes until Luke Chicone got the team on the board. The Comets did not fare much better, but managed to create some separation with a couple early buckets from good execution to take an early 10-4 lead. 

It took four minutes for either team to score again, with the Comets converting in the paint to extend the lead to 8 with 12 minutes remaining. For an afternoon where the Blue Streaks scoring 80 points guaranteed all students in attendance corn dogs, 4 points in the first 10 minutes of action was not an encouraging mark. 

Luke Frazier would resurrect the Blue Streak offense shortly after the 10 minute mark with a layup to keep the contest within a single digit margin at 14-6. The scoring picked up a bit in the final 8 minutes, with the Blue Streaks outscoring the Comets 15-10, making several small runs to slowly push their way back into the contest. 

A timely offensive run late in the half shortened the Capital lead to just one, and the Streaks went to the locker room in great shape, down 26-25 after one of the toughest shooting halves of the season. 

The theme of the second half was defensive intensity. The scoring got started much quicker in the second half of play, but the #1 Blue Streaks ratcheted up the effort on both sides of the ball. 

The home squad managed to quickly snag the lead on the opening possession of the half, and managed to start gaining separation with a series of stops and scores. Both teams went back and forth for the first seven minutes, with the Blue Streaks managing to extend their lead to as many as seven by the 13-minute mark. 

The Comets got a bucket to pull to within five at 41-36, and that bucket was the last they would get for over four minutes. During that stretch, the Blue Streaks brought all sorts of physicality and went on a blistering 17-0 run to push the lead all the way to 22, mostly on the back of great defense from the guards and quick transition buckets. 

Freshman Aidan Fitzgerald was integral to the extreme ball pressure the Blue Streaks put forth, and he knew exactly what the catalyst was. 

"We all really wanted to win for the Seniors. For Jerry, Connor, Luka, and Deuce. So we came out with a lot of energy and honestly just played for them." 

The Senior Day festivities got fun during the run, and the  "Carrollanche" as dubbed by Student Manager Deuce Zak's father, carried the home squad to their 17th conference win of the year, scampering out of the gym with a 74-54 win. 

Despite not getting to the coveted number of 80 total points on the matchup, the JCU Food Buggy were generous enough to give students their corn dogs with the Carroll win. 

The Luke's led the way for the Streaks this afternoon. Luke Frazier dropped 23 points and grabbed 7 boards, and Luke Chicone ended the afternoon on triple-double watch with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. Four total players were in double-figures for the Streaks, with Will Yontek and Luka Eller both adding 10 points of their own. 

This matchup marks the end of the regular season for the Blue and Gold, and they will await the winner of Otterbein and Marietta in the semifinals of the OAC Tournament this Thursday at 7 pm. 
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