Denison Den 10-6,5-2 NCAC

John Carroll JCU 13-4,5-3 NCAC

Denison Den

10-6,5-2 NCAC

Final

Jan. 17, 2026

John Carroll JCU

13-4,5-3 NCAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Denison Den	34	41	75
John Carroll JCU	50	39	89

Summary
Box Score

Jose Figueroa

Kasey Hunt

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/17/2026 9:14:00 PM | Joe Ginley '16, SID

Tough Defense and Sharpshooting Key Men's Basketball Home Win over Denison

The Blue Streaks have won three straight NCAC games in impressive fashion

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – Ten days ago, John Carroll Men's Basketball dropped a tough 16-point home loss to Ohio Wesleyan to drop to 2-3 in North Coast Athletic Conference play. Things look much different now.

Three games later, the Blue Streaks are winners of three straight, the latest victory over Denison University, entering as conference juggernauts with a 5-1 mark.

In control much of the way, the Blue Streaks defeated Denison, 89-75, at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.

Defense has been the meal ticket for JCU lately, as this has been the best 3-game defensive stretch of the year to this point. Denison managed just 43.1% shooting, including 29.2% from downtown. Make no mistake, the Blue Streaks continue to score aplenty, with 79 points or more in every game this season.

JCU boasted a double-digit lead for 22 of 40 minutes, an impressive feat against a strong team like the Big Red. The hosts forced 15 turnovers while giving up just 6 turnovers, a major reason why.

The teams fired out of the gates with triples galore, combining for six in the first six minutes. The teams traded jabs but neither could establish dominance in the early going. Just before the under-12 media timeout, Mike Lamirand drew a foul on a layup. After the break, Lamirand sank the shot from the charity stripe, giving JCU the lead. The hosts quickly built on the lead, as this began a 15-4 JCU run. A Brandon Rose triple at 6:43 turned a 4-point JCU lead into a 7-point advantage, which felt significant on the scoreboard.

JCU continued to work hard, carrying a 42-29 lead into the final media timeout of the half. After the respite, John Carroll kept up the momentum with tough defense. Luke Chicone swiped a Denison player and hit a cutting Lamirand on a pretty play. The Saint Ignatius product continued to produce, ensuring the game remained in control.

As an exclamation point to end a fantastic half, Kasey Hunt buried a straightaway triple off a Chicone dish to set the score at 50-34 heading into halftime.

The opening of the second half was slower offensively, with just three Denison free throws and a nice Luke Chicone cutting layup in the first three minutes. A Denison triple at the 14-minute mark slimmed the deficit to single digits, but a Chicone layup and 3-pointers by Kasey Hunt and Kyle Irwin got the game back in control. JCU stood ahead, 64-49, with 10:46 to play.

Lamirand's emergence continued down the stretch of the game, as the Saint Ignatius grad is finding confidence in his game. The sophomore notched a tip-in layup in the paint plus a triple in the span of about 80 seconds. In the meantime, Hunt kept up his torrid pace, keeping JCU in the driver's seat.

The Big Red narrowed the gap to nine points thanks to a 3-pointer with 56 seconds left. But the outcome never felt in doubt, salted away by three Jack Zapolnik free throws and a pair by Hunt.

Kasey Hunt topped all scorers, as the Sylvania native poured in 24 points. You gotta love Luke Chicone's statline: 16 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals. The grad student just surpassed Pete Moran for sixth on the all-time program leaderboard for assists, now with 411 in his career. Mike Lamirand thrived with 15 points.

Next Up
The Blue Streaks will hit the road next Saturday, heading to Wabash College for a 2 pm matchup on January 24 to begin the second go-around in the NCAC. The Little Giants beat JCU at home on December 13, 101-97.

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