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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Kasey Hunt vs. Denison
Peter Wangechi
Kasey Hunt
70
John Carroll JCU 18-6,10-5 NCAC
87
Winner Denison Den 15-8,10-4 NCAC
John Carroll JCU
18-6,10-5 NCAC
70
Final
87
Denison Den
15-8,10-4 NCAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
John Carroll JCU 28 42 70
Denison Den 36 51 87

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2/21/2026 | 3:05 PM

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Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Aiden Ramsden, Staff Writer

Rebounding and Shooting Woes Sink Men's Basketball at Denison

The Blue Streaks drop from first to third in the conference standings with one game remaining

GRANVILLE, Ohio -- It is a very rare occurrence where you technically have two reigning champions in the same conference. But with John Carroll's recent entry to the North Coast Athletic Conference we got just that. 

Two matchups between last year's OAC champion Blue Streaks and last year's NCAC champion Big Red. After John Carroll won round one in University Heights back in January, it was time for the much anticipated rematch, this time at Denison. 

This time, there was plenty on the line. A week ago, Denison had a 2-game lead over the Blue Streaks for first place in the conference, but after losing two straight and John Carroll riding a 3-game win streak, control of conference was now up for grabs. 

A woeful shooting day from the Blue Streaks and a great Big Red performance on the offensive boards led to Denison taking game two, 87-70. The Big Red now control their own destiny with a 10-4 conference record: Two wins clinch the crown and the #1 seed in the tournament. JCU drops to 10-5. 

The game could not have gotten off to a better start for the Blue Streaks. The Big Red tipped the ball right to Sean Collins and he found himself under the basket and scored just twi seconds into the game. The following possession saw Kyle Irwin drill his first triple of the game. 

Denison did not hesitate, as after the Blue Streaks had a 9-7 lead, the Big Red responded with an 8-1 run to take control. Kasey Hunt put a stop to the run with back-to-back scores of his own, one of which was from deep. After being fouled on a fastbreak, Mike Lamirand tied the game up and another three from Hunt gave John Carroll the lead back. 

The Big Red would not fold as they tied the game and with 7:10 left in the opening half nailed two free throws for a 23-21 lead, a lead which they did not surrender. 

After a Denison three, the Blue Streaks saw themselves down by eight halfway through the game. The first half story was simple, the Blue Streaks could not get anything to fall, scoring their fewest amount of points in any half all season long. Denison also struggled to sink shots, but the Big Red dominated the glass with 16 offensive rebounds in the first half, already being a season high that the Blue Streaks had allowed. 

The message was simple, 'The shots will fall but we need to get more physical on the boards.' 

John Carroll started the second half just as they had the game, a quick layup followed by an Irwin three. Again, Denison would not relent, as they continued to control the game and eventually build their lead up to double digits. From there the lead tiptoed between nine and 11 for what felt like ages, as each team had an equal response for whatever the other did. 

Eventually, the Big Red were able to push the lead to 14. John Carroll responded fiercely. After a pair of free throws by Sean Collins, the Streaks got a stop and found Lamirand on the other end for a three. After inbounding the ball, a Denison player threw it right to Brandon Rose, who found Jack Zapolnik wide open for another JCU three, cutting the lead to four as Denison called a timeout. 

Unfortunately, that is where the magic stopped as the Big Red used the next three minutes to push themselves back to a double digit lead. An empathetic fast break dunk from the home team with 2 minutes to go was the dagger. 

The Blue Streaks struggled from all scoring aspects. Shooting 38% from the field, 25% from three, and 55% from the free throw line. Despite winning the turnover battle, the -14 difference in the offensive rebounds category was the game-defining difference. 

Kasey Hunt had an outstanding day, scoring a game-high 28 points to go along with 7 rebounds. 

Although they will need some help through this upcoming week, the Blue Streaks still have a chance at winning the regular season title and securing the #1 seed in the NCAC tournament, should Denison lose a game or two. 

Up Next
The Blue Streaks are off until Saturday, February 21 as they return to the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center to celebrate Senior Day against Wittenberg. JCU will be scoreboard watching to see how the other eight NCAC teams fare.
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Players Mentioned

Sean Collins

#14 Sean Collins

F
6' 5"
Senior
Kasey Hunt

#15 Kasey Hunt

F
6' 5"
Senior
Kyle Irwin

#23 Kyle Irwin

F
6' 6"
Junior
Mike Lamirand

#3 Mike Lamirand

F
6' 4"
Sophomore
Brandon Rose

#1 Brandon Rose

G/F
6' 3"
Junior
Jack Zapolnik

#21 Jack Zapolnik

Guard
6' 0"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Sean Collins

#14 Sean Collins

6' 5"
Senior
F
Kasey Hunt

#15 Kasey Hunt

6' 5"
Senior
F
Kyle Irwin

#23 Kyle Irwin

6' 6"
Junior
F
Mike Lamirand

#3 Mike Lamirand

6' 4"
Sophomore
F
Brandon Rose

#1 Brandon Rose

6' 3"
Junior
G/F
Jack Zapolnik

#21 Jack Zapolnik

6' 0"
Sophomore
Guard

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