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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Luke Chicone vs. DePauw on 2-27-26
Jose Figueroa
81
Winner John Carroll JCU 21-6,11-5 NCAC
71
DePauw DPU 18-8,11-5 NCAC
Winner
John Carroll JCU
21-6,11-5 NCAC
81
Final
71
DePauw DPU
18-8,11-5 NCAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
John Carroll JCU 45 36 81
DePauw DPU 34 37 71

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

Chicone's Excellent Day Guides Men's Basketball Past DePauw to NCAC Final

The Blue Streaks will play for the NCAC Tournament Championship on Saturday night

GRANVILLE, Ohio -- Just like in the past three seasons, the Blue Streaks found themselves in the semifinal round of the conference tournament, However, unlike those previous three, this go-around would not be at the DeCarlo Center. On Friday, John Carroll Men's Basketball traveled to Denison for a neutral site matchup with #2 seed DePauw University.

Behind a stellar performance from Luke Chicone, the Blue Streaks managed to pull away in an 81-71 victory over the Tigers. 

John Carroll will now play for the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship in their first year in the league on Saturday night against host Denison University, the #1 seed. 

Chicone wasted no time with a mid-range pull up on the Blue Streaks' first possession to get the night started. After Aidan Fitzgerald and Kasey Hunt added onto the lead, the Luke Chicone show came in full effect. Another mid-range pullup had him feeling good and a 3-pointer just a minute later had the Blue Streaks rolling. Chicone wasn't done, as his third mid-range jumper of the game was quickly followed by another three as he registered 12 of John Carroll's first 16 points.

Despite the run by Chicone, the Tigers were still relentless, as JCU only led by three going into the under-16 media timeout. Each team stalled out for the next five minutes. A pair of free throws put DePauw in front but that didn't last very long, as Chicone immediately responded with his third triple of the night. 

From there, John Carroll was able to maintain the lead while also slightly increasing it. After a steal by Mike Lamirand, it was Luke Chicone once again with his fourth 3-pointer of the half to push the lead to eight and send the JCU fans into a frenzy. The momentum didn't stop there, as just a few minutes later Lamirand and Chicone paired up for back to back threes to extend the lead to 15. A few late scores from DePauw sent the teams into halftime with the Blue Streaks leading by 11. 

The Tigers came out of the half with a renewed sense of urgency as they began to close the gap. DePauw was able to close the margin to five, where they floated for a while  before a layup got them within three. Kyle Irwin put a stop to any momentum that could've gotten them as he sunk his first three of the night. Hunt and Chicone continued to tally on the points as the Blue Streaks had firm control, taking a 14-point lead.

After nailing another mid-range jumper, Luke Chicone stepped into the Tiger passing lane for his second steal of the night, a steal that will go into the record books as he now owns the record for most steals in a single season in John Carroll history. 

After the historic steal, DePauw began to turn to the foul game hoping for a miracle. The Blue Streaks stayed composed and held on for the 10-point victory. 

Luke Chicone led all scorers with 39 points. Kasey Hunt followed up with 12 points of his own.

"Basketball is fun, I love my friends, I don't want this ride to end so I'm going to do everything I can to keep it going," said Chicone.

Up Next
The Blue Streaks advance to the NCAC Championship to play Denison at 7 pm on Saturday, February 28. 
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