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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Luke Frazier vs. BW
Ben Peskar
Luke Frazier had a career-high 36 points, the most any player in the OAC has scored in a game this season.
91
Baldwin Wallace BW 7-9,3-6 OAC
96
Winner John Carroll JCU 14-2,8-1 OAC
Baldwin Wallace BW
7-9,3-6 OAC
91
Final
96
John Carroll JCU
14-2,8-1 OAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Baldwin Wallace BW 56 35 91
John Carroll JCU 47 49 96

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Noah Tylutki, Graduate Assistant

Second Half Swing Powers Blue Streaks to Win Over Baldwin Wallace

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- The old adage states that basketball is a game of runs.
 
Key scoring runs in the second half aided the John Carroll men's basketball team to a 96-91 victory over a hungry crosstown rival Baldwin Wallace to remain tied for first place with Mount Union in the Ohio Athletic Conference. 
 
After being down 56-47 at the half, JCU turned it around by outscoring the Yellow Jackets 49-35 in the second.
 
The Blue Streak defense also held the visitors to a mere 42% from the floor and 18% from deep in the second after BW shot 63% from the field and 9/12 from beyond the arc in the first.
 
"They (Baldwin Wallace) shot the ball extremely well in the first half," JCU head coach Pete Moran said.  "We took a heavyweight punch that first half and I think that's the mark of a good basketball team, when you're able to overcome a punch like that and come out victorious.  I'm really proud of our guys' effort in the second half."
 
The Yellow Jackets began the game hot as they scored seven three pointers in the first 11:14 of the opening half to take a 38-25 lead, their largest of the game. 
 
However, JCU countered by going on a 17-6 run to pull within two, 44-42, with just over four minutes left in the stanza.
 
BW pulled ahead, scoring 12 of the half's final 17 to push to their 56-47 advantage.
 
The Blue Streaks came out of the break and scored the half's opening nine points to tie it up at 56-56 in just 2:14.
 
JCU tied it up three more times before a Luke Frazier dunk three minutes later made it 62-60 Blue Streaks, their first lead since the game's opening basket.
 
"It was really just being competitors, coming out and getting to the rim," Moran said of the hot start to the second half.  "I think that elevated their confidence a bit and also being able to get stops.  We pride ourselves on that and we were able to get some stops early in the second half and get out in transition and get some buckets."
 
John Carroll maintained a steady advantage, stretching their lead to 10 on two occasions before BW crept back and came within three, 84-81, with 4:47 left.
 
The Yellow Jackets got within one on a Ray Ellington three pointer with 47 seconds remaining to make it 90-89, but a Luke Frazier three-point play 20 seconds later iced the game for the Blue Streaks.
 
Frazier showed his versatility and skill by scoring a career-high 36 points, 12 of which came from beyond the arc.
 
The sophomore transfer from Ohio University is now the only player in the OAC to have multiple 30+ point games, as he scored 32 against Wisconsin-Superior back on December 29.
 
"He had the hot hand," Moran said of Frazier.  "(Luke) Chicone came by and said 'let's get Frazier the ball.'  We certainly did that, and Frazier just has an ability to get to any spot on the floor and get a shot off.  When he's hitting shots from the perimeter he can be a dynamic player."
 
Chicone added 18 points while Luka Eller finished with his first double-double of the season (14 points, 11 rebounds) for JCU.
 
Five players scored in double figures for Baldwin Wallace, led by Anthony Mazzeo's 21 and Ashton Price's 16.
 
John Carroll will look to lock up another conference win when they start their second half of OAC play and travel to New Concord to face Muskingum on Saturday, January 21 at 2pm.
 
"I like to think our guys have a better feel for what to expect now that we've gotten through the first round of OAC action and played every team," Moran said. 
 
"We're just going game by game, because we can't control anything else that happens in the league.  We just want to get better each and every day and play our best basketball from here on out."
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