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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Luke Chicone celebrates vs. SUNY New Paltz 2024 NCAA MBB Tournament
Jose Figueroa
John Carroll will host #10 Calvin next on Saturday at 8:20 pm.
81
SUNY New Paltz SUNYNP 20-8,12-6 SUNYAC
85
Winner John Carroll JCU 26-2,17-1 OAC
SUNY New Paltz SUNYNP
20-8,12-6 SUNYAC
81
Final
85
John Carroll JCU
26-2,17-1 OAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
SUNY New Paltz SUNYNP 29 52 81
John Carroll JCU 42 43 85

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Jack Stephens, Staff Writer

#2 Blue Streaks Fend Off SUNY New Paltz in First Round Win in Packed DeCarlo Center

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — It took a total team effort for the No.2 John Carroll Blue Streaks to advance to the next round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament, knocking off the SUNY New Paltz Hawks, 85-81, in the opening round.  

It was a physical contest between two hungry squads in front of a packed house in DeCarlo Varsity Center.

In fact, the attendance for the game was 2,244, the most fans in the DeCarlo Center since March 4, 2004. That game? A First Round NCAA Tournament win over Calvin en route to the Final Four. The next opponent up for John Carroll tomorrow – No. 10 Calvin. 

 A back and forth affair through five minutes ended as the Blue Streaks started to gain a little bit of a lead off of two three pointers from junior guard Chase Toppin, to give the Blue Streaks a 9-point lead early. 

The Hawks answered quickly with a 5-0 run, but the Captain responded with a layup in transition to end the threat. The Hawks were not fazed by the packed environment in the first half as they pushed the pace getting John Carroll out of rhythm. Back-to-back layups off JCU turnovers caused a Blue Streak timeout.

Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Pete Moran made some needed adjustments as the Blue Streaks slowed the game down, getting layups from senior forward Luka Eller and junior guard Luke Frazier. Two free throws from junior Will Yontek and Eller and a Chicone layup gave the Blue Streaks a 10-0 run to close out the first half, giving John Carroll a 42-29 lead after one. 

Yontek led all scorers with 11 points while also grabbing five rebounds. Junior guard Luke Chicone did his thing facilitating the offense, tallying a game-high five assists, while also scoring eight points. Hawks junior guard Ethan St. Lucia and graduate student Kobe Bogart each had six points, which led all New Paltz. 

A physical second half carried over into the second half as both teams fought for every bucket. Henry Raynor scored the first six points for Blue Streaks to open the half. The Hawks continued to just do enough to keep themselves in the contest. The three-point shot was New Paltz's best friend, as midway through the second half they hit five threes, after only hitting four the entire first 20 minutes. 

Both teams traded baskets throughout the entire period, but the three pointers for New Paltz were enough to cut the John Carroll lead to five with five minutes left. John Carroll struggled to get anything going offensively down the stretch of the second half, but transition fouls on the Hawks allowed Chicone and Yontek to each knock down a pair of free throws to keep New Paltz at bay. 

Great defense continued to translate into great offense for SUNY New Paltz as some great ball movement cut the deficit to two. Once again, John Carroll turned the basketball over, but Chicone intercepted a pass, giving the Blue Streaks a must needed stop. The Mentor product was fouled on the steal, and hit two clutch free throws once again, making the lead two possessions. 

John Carroll knocked down 14 free throws in the second half alone, which proved to be crucial when the offense went stagnant. 

"I think last week in the Mount game, when I was at the line, I think my whole body went numb," Chicone commented about his clutch gene at the charity stripe. "I've kinda struggled from the line this year and after hitting those two my confidence has gone up alot and that carried into tonight."

Junior guard A.J. Knight made an acrobatic layup to once again cut the lead to two. The ball was again put in the hand of the OAC Player of the Year, getting past two defenders and hitting Eller for an open layup. The Hawks answered off a Rylan Blondo layup, forcing them to foul Frazier on the inbounds pass. The Mentor native stepped up, knocking down both after struggling from the line all game, putting JCU up by four with 13 seconds left. Graduate student Jerry Higgins III picked up Sean St. Lucia and put the clamps on in the final seconds giving the Hawks no chance for a late comeback sealing the win. 

Chicone's huge second half led the way for John Carroll, as he led all scorers with 24 points and nine assists. All but one Blue Streak scored in double figures and every single point was crucial in the first round victory. Bogart led the way for New Paltz with 16 points and three rebounds.

"I told the guys to say hi to their families, kiss their girlfriends and go to bed," Blue Streak head coach Pete Moran said after the game. "It's gonna be a late night and early morning for the coaches getting prepped for tomorrow, we just want to get these guys rested and ready for the next one."

With the win, John Carroll advances to take on the Calvin Knights in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, at 8:20 pm right here at DeCarlo Varsity Center. 
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