With a scorching start from the field, David Linane set John Carroll on the path to an decisive win to begin 2017.

Matthew Csuhran continued the torrid shooting in the second half to help the Blue Streaks complete the path to victory with a 97-76 decision over Heidelberg University in the first OAC game of the 2017 calendar year at the DeCarlo Varsity Center on Wednesday.

Linane opened the game by connecting on five consecutive three pointers to boost John Carroll to an early 17-4 lead in the opening four minutes of play. The senior led John Carroll with 25 points, while Csuhran chipped in 20 points off the bench.

Kiere Bennie scored 25 to lead the way for the Student Princes.

After JCU opened up the game on the run, the two teams went going back and forth, with the Blue and Gold lead growing to as much as 15. The Student Princes, however, did not wither and cut the lead to as little as five during the first half.

The home squad used a late push to take a 47-34 advantage into the locker room. Linane led all scorers with 21 at the break.

Heidelberg would never get closer than 12 points the remainder of the contest. In fact, it would be a steady climb for the Blue Streaks to push the lead into the twenties. When Doug Caputo rejected Connor Hutchison's shot to start a fast break, Noah Bidar found John Cirillo for an easy layup to give JCU a 67-46 lead with 10:22 remaining in the second half.

Heidelberg was able to bury back-to-back three pointers cutting the lead to 15. But Brian Papich responded on the the next trip down the floor, cutting to the basket and finishing through traffic for an "and-one", stopping the short-lived run.

Freshman Jake Kuchta recorded his first career points by drilling a wide open three pointer late. Kuchta made a layup in the paint later, tallying five points in his third appearance for the Blue and Gold.

John Carroll's defense held the Student Princes to 36 percent from the field. The Blue Streaks bench scored 50 points in the contest.

With the win, John Carroll climbed over .500 for the first time this season, improving to 6-5 overall and 3-2 (T-3rd) in the OAC. Heidelberg falls to 6-6 overall and 2-3 in league play.

The Blue and Gold will travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on Capital University at 2:00 p.m.