All Streaks must come to an end. On Saturday, John Carroll had its 18-game winning streak against Marietta snapped, as the Ohio Athletic Conference-leading Pioneers shot 57% from the floor en route to a 101-90 win over the visiting Blue Streaks.

John Carroll's (10-5, 5-3 in the OAC) largest lead was a mere two points, as they trailed the first 25 minutes of play. Marietta (14-2, 7-2 in the OAC) got a game-high 29 points from Trevor Halter, who bottomed a couple of big three's down the stretch to seal the victory. 

Box Score 

Usually, a game isn't won or lost in the opening minutes of play. But with less than three minutes in the books, Marietta connected on two long-balls and jumped out to an early 12-4 lead. Jacob Owens, who finished with 12 points, launched four 3-pointers from another area code that hit nothing but the bottom of the net. 

After an "and-one" play by J.J. Martin with just over 12 minutes to play in the first half, John Carroll was on the wrong end of a 27-15 score. 

As per usual, however, John Carroll refused to give in. Multiple times, the blue and gold tried to swing momentum back in their favor. But the lights-out shooting from the host Pioneers made it difficult for John Carroll to keep pace. 

Marietta, catapulted by a 6-0 run right before the break, went into the locker room ahead 54-47. They shot 57% from the floor in the opening period, including 9-15 from beyond the arc. The Blue Streaks were hanging tough with a 45.9% shooting percentage and 6-17 from deep. 

John Carroll roared to life in the opening three minutes of the second half on the heels of a 10-3 scoring run. When Connor Sweeney converted on a layup with 15 minutes to play, the Blue Streaks took a 63-62 lead – their first of the night. 

The teams exchanged four lead changes over the next eight minutes. With 7:20 remaining in the contest, John Carroll trailed 78-76 and was waiting for a chance to strike it big. It never came. John Carroll was held without a field goal over the next three minutes and trailed 88-76 after another Halter three-ball. He finished with five treys on the night. 

Though the odds were against them, Corey Shontz (Andover, OH, Pymatuning Valley)nailed a three-pointer with 1:32 to play. But with the Streaks down 94-85, time wasn't on their side. Marietta hit its free throws down the stretch and sealed the victory. 

“After the first four minutes, we really started to play a lot better,” said assistant aoach John Stavole after the game. “Honestly, they came out firing and this was a tough place to play today. There aren't a whole lot of adjustments to make when your opponent shoots 14-23 (61%) from beyond the arc.”
 
Meyer led the way for John Carroll with 18 points. He followed up his JCU record-tying nine 3-pointer performance with an additional four rainbows against Marietta. Maurice Haynes II (Cleveland, OH, Villa Angela-St. Joseph)finished with 17 points before fouling out, the 14th time this season he finished in double figures. Conor Tilow (Rocky River, OH, Lakewood St. Edward)had 14 points and Corey Shontz (Andover, OH, Pymatuning Valley)finished with 12 points and eight rebounds in the loss. 

Marietta got 20 points from freshman guard Tyler Hammond and 13 points from Brian Crader. Marietta made 12 more free throws than John Carroll and out-rebounded the Streaks 37-35.