Box Score
A big kick at the end of the first half helped #24 ranked John Carroll roll to its 11th consecutive win, running past host Mount Union, 96-72, in an Ohio Athletic Conference match-up held in Alliance.
The home squad got off to an early lead as Jay Mathis scored the first six Purple Raiders points as Mount Union built an 8-3 advantage.
John Carroll responded after the slow start and racked up 14 of the next 17 points. A Chris Zajac three-point field goal capped the run that made the score 17-11.
The Purple Raiders rallied back with seven unanswered points, only to watch the Blue Streaks put together a 9-3 burst that would give the visitors a lead they would not relinquish. Rudy Kirbus buried a three-pointer with just over six minutes to play in the opening period that put John Carroll ahead 26-20.
Mount Union momentarily brought the lead down to three points when Chris Switzer split a pair of free throws at the 5:43 mark, but 26-23 would be as close as the homestanding Purple Raiders would get the rest of the evening.
Starting with a Corey Shontz lay-up at the 4:48 mark and concluding with a Matt Crozier lay-up at the buzzer, John Carroll closed out the first half on an 18-2 run that made the score 44-25 heading into the intermission.
John Carroll would push the lead to as many as 28 points -- once at 71-43 and again at 80-52 -- before settling upon the 24-point final margin.
In winning its 11th consecutive game, John Carroll (15-4, 11-2 OAC) was able to maintain its share of first place in the conference standings thanks to a career-high 22 points from Shontz, who was 7-11 from the field and 5-7 from three-point range. Crozier added 15 points and a game-high12 rebounds, while Kirbus and Michael Hartnett each chipped in 12 points. JCU was 34-63 (.540) from the field, including 13-23 (.565) from three-point range.
Mount Union (11-9, 5-8 OAC) was paced by 20 points from Switzer, 16 from Dave Pellerite and 10 from Mathis. The Purple raiders rebounded from a 10-37 (.270) shooting effort in the first half with an 18-31 (.581) performance in the second, but were forced into committing 23 turnovers.
