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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
MBB during Etta game
Ben Peskar
John Carroll has a strong chance at an NCAA Tournament at-large bid after falling in the semifinal. 
79
Winner Marietta MAR 17-10,10-8 OAC
75
John Carroll JCU 22-4,16-2 OAC
Winner
Marietta MAR
17-10,10-8 OAC
79
Final
75
John Carroll JCU
22-4,16-2 OAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Marietta MAR 21 58 79
John Carroll JCU 39 36 75

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

Men's Basketball Falls in a Heartbreaker to the Pios in OAC Tournament Semifinal

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – John Carroll and Marietta have plenty of postseason history, but never before had the proud programs met in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinal before today.

In a tough turn of events, a big John Carroll halftime lead turned into a Marietta victory.

The Blue Streaks fell to the Pioneers, 79-75, in a tough loss at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.

In the first half, the Blue Streaks' defense stifled the Pioneers, limiting the visitors to just 21 points. John Carroll's ball movement and balanced attack powered the early offense. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Luke Frazier fired up a 10-5 early lead for John Carroll. A beautiful and-one by Jerry Higgins III pushed the lead ahead to eight points at the 14:25 mark. The Pios slimmed the deficit to 17-13 near the halfway mark when JCU's defense went to work.

The Blue Streaks held the Pioneers scoreless for the next four minutes, and got the lead back into the double digits with some thrilling play in the paint, highlighted by a David Gentry slam dunk. JCU possessed a comfortable 28-15 lead with 5:40 to play after a Chase Toppin triple, leading to a Marietta timeout.

John Carroll's defense continued to be stingy down the stretch with a loud student section urging the home squad on. A late Higgins driving layup in transition set the score at 39-21 JCU at halftime.

The JCU defense was the story of the opening half. The Blue Streaks limited the visitors to just 24.3% shooting, including 1-of-13 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, the Blue Streaks got it done with balanced scoring, with five players scoring six or more points to start. JCU's key advantage proved to be in the paint, outscoring Marietta in the painted area, 22-10. 

The Pioneers started hot in the second, firing up a 6-0 run to start before Frazier halted it with a pretty layup and a monster fastbreak dunk. At the first media timeout, the Blue Streaks stood in full control, 45-29. 

Marietta made some nice plays on offense, fighting hard to stay in it. Despite a clutch Toppin straightaway triple, the Pioneers chipped away at the deficit, aided by some foul calls to place a couple JCU players in foul trouble. Will Yontek buried his fourth 3-pointer of the year in response, but the Pios refused to quit. The visitors slimmed the margin to single digits, 55-47, leading to a JCU timeout with 10:45 to play. 

Then, the powerhouses went punch-for-punch. Luka Eller drew a foul on a driving layup, and while he missed the free throw, Higgins grabbed the board. A marvelous Frazier driving bucket brought the crowd to its feet. The teams traded triples, and so the blood pressure level of JCU fans rose. With 6:53 to play, JCU's lead felt precipitous at 64-58. 

The lead constricted further to just four, so in stepped Higgins with an offensive board followed by an and-one. But the Pios counterpunched and slimmed the deficit to just two, 69-67, with four minutes left, and tied the game with 3:16 to play. And with 2:40 left, the Pios took their first lead since the 17:28 mark of the first. 

A Toppin triple with 43 seconds knotted the contest at 75. Marietta drew a foul call with 22.6 seconds left and knocked down both free throws. And then, the Pios knocked down two more after a JCU missed shot to seal the deal late.

Luke Frazier led all JCU scorers with 18 points. Chase Toppin and Jerry Higgins III each tallied 14 points. Will Yontek tabbed 13 points. Henry Raynor and Luka Eller each managed 8 rebounds. 

Missed free throws here and there harmed JCU, as the team shot 11-of-18 from the charity stripe, while Marietta sank 18-of-20 from the line. 

Tonight was John Carroll's first home loss of the season. 

With the loss, the Blue Streaks drop to 22-4 on the year. The Blue & Gold await the NCAA Selection Show on Monday at 1 pm to learn of their NCAA Division III Tournament fate. 
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