Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Eric Hanna 3/2
80
Winner Ohio Northern ONU 4-6,3-6 OAC
79
John Carroll JCU 4-4,4-3 OAC
Winner
Ohio Northern ONU
4-6,3-6 OAC
80
Final
79
John Carroll JCU
4-4,4-3 OAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Ohio Northern ONU 42 38 80
John Carroll JCU 49 30 79

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Joe Ginley '16, SID

Men's Basketball Suffers Heartbreaking Defeat at Home

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- The 2021 season did not end on the note the John Carroll University Men's Basketball team hoped it would. But the one thing you can say for this Blue Streaks team is that they never quit.

Despite a late start, a pair of pauses due to COVID-19, and a largely young squad, the Blue Streaks battled all the way to the very end. 

JCU's season ended with a 80-79 defeat to Ohio Northern University in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinal on Tuesday, March 2 in the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center. With it, the careers of several senior Blue Streaks came to a close. 

"Every senior class leaves a legacy. What this senior class did was the old never give up attitude," said Head Coach Pete Moran '08. "I told our guys that I probably would have quit. In the midst of testing, no preseason, two shutdowns, they rallied, which was very impressive. The legacy they left is the never quit mentality."

Tuesday's game was a battle from the start. Even without a pair of key players, the Polar Bears duked it out with the Blue Streaks all the way. The teams exchanged buckets throughout the first half, with a Luke Hippler layup knotting the contest at 22-22 with 10:18 to play.

The Blue Streaks caught fire in the later stages of the first. Eric Hanna hit a pair of 3's and Jackson Sartain connected on one, giving JCU a 6-point lead with 5:25 to play. After a 30-second timeout at the 1:32 mark, John Carroll ended the half on a 6-2 run, powered by 4 points by Emil Hess and a Hugh Brown jumper. JCU led at halftime, 49-42.
 
Ohio Northern clawed away in the early stages of the first half. The Polar Bears tied the contest at 58-all with 14:12 to play. Hugh Brown quickly snagged the lead with a 3-pointer. Eric Hanna stretched the advantage to 66-61 with 9:42 left, but the lead would expand no further. John Carroll clung to the lead until Grant Heileman tabbed a layup with 4:19 to set the score at 4:17. Heileman struck again with 3:05 left, grabbing a 77-76 lead for ONU. The Polar Bears would not relinquish the lead.

In the final minutes, ONU's defense tightened, only allowing an Emmett Chambers free throw and a William Wallace layup. A shot in the final second clanged off the iron and JCU fell a point short, 80-79. 

"Our guys didn't give up. I'll always remember Corbin and Emil diving on the floor in an OAC Tournament game," Moran said. "Our guys went out fighting all the way to the end."

Jackson Sartain led the team with 15 points. Eric Hanna (13 points), Mason Trubisky (10), and William Wallace (10) all surpassed double figures in scoring. 
Print Friendly Version

Sponsors