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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Luke Chicone at MSJ on 11-22-25
Photo Courtesy of Mount St. Joseph Sports Information
82
Transylvania Transy 1-3,0-0 HCAC
84
Winner John Carroll JCU 4-0,0-0 NCAC
Transylvania Transy
1-3,0-0 HCAC
82
Final
84
John Carroll JCU
4-0,0-0 NCAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Transylvania Transy 44 38 82
John Carroll JCU 40 44 84

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Aiden Ramsden, Staff Writer

Men's Basketball Thwarts Transylvania to Up Record to 4-0

Chicone's career day guided the Blue Streaks' efforts

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- A hard fought battle erased and a masterclass from Luke Chicone resulted in a narrow win for John Carroll Men's Basketball.

The Blue Streaks start the 2025-26 season with a 4-0 record, after an 84-82 win over Transylvania.

JCU notched wins on back-to-back days of the 2025 Lauren Hill Tip-Off Classic hosted by Mount St. Joseph. 

Aidan Fitzgerald got the scoring started for the Blue Streaks off a beautiful pass from Kyle Irwin. The next scores for JCU would come via a Luke Chicone three and layup, just the start to what was going to be an extraordinary game.

Neither team managed to pull away early but a Justin Chapman three seemed to have the Blue Streaks rolling. A pair of free throws from Brandon Rose had the Ohioans up five with 10 minutes left in the half. From there, though, the Pioneers took control and began to form a lead. Over the next eight minutes, Transylvania outscored the Streaks, 23-11, to form a 7-point lead. 

The next two minutes didn't feature a whole lot, but a pair of trips to the charity stripe from Chicone and a layup from Kasey Hunt had John Carroll down just four at the half.

Coming out of the break, a three and fast break dunk had the Pioneers buzzing with a 9-point lead. Despite that, the Blue Streaks responded with a 7-0 run, all points by Chicone. Transylvania ended their scoring drought with a free throw of their own but a smooth mid-range pull up from Rose cut the deficit to just one.

Transy once again used a three and a few free throws to extend their lead, this time to six. John Carroll once again responded ferociously, with a 19-6 run almost completely orchestrated by the Mentor natives, Luke Chicone and Sean Collins. A Mike Lamirand three capped off the run and had the Blue and Gold up seven with seven minutes to play. 

The Pioneers tried to chip away immediately, but another three, this time from Fitzgerald, shut that down quickly. Still, the opposition was relentless, continuing to scratch and claw back, not letting John Carroll close this one out too early. Back to back layups from Collins had JCU up five with under three to play. 

However, a clutch three by Transylvania had them down one with 24 seconds left, triggering the foul game to be played. A 1-for-2 trip to the line for the Blue Streaks put the Pioneers in prime position to tie the game or send it to overtime at a minimum. A backcourt violation botched that opportunity, as the Blue Streaks would get the ball back. But a slip and ensuing traveling call put the ball right back in the hands of Transylvania with 5 seconds to play. 

The Pioneers opted to go for the tie, driving into the lane to attempt the final shot, but a great block by Lucas Perusek at the buzzer sealed the deal as the Blue Streaks head home, escaping with a narrow victory.

John Carroll once again won the turnover battle with a +10 margin and the offensive rebounding battle by two. 

Luke Chicone filled up the stat sheet registering a career-high 41 points, going 13-of-23 from the field, plus 13-of-18 from the free throw line.

"Whatever I gotta do to win, I'm willing to do it to the best of my ability," stated Chicone. 

Fellow Mentor graduate Sean Collins poured in an additional 15 points.

"It was a hard-fought win, these games are good for us. We need to be tested," said Collins. "Shoutout to Transylvania, they played a great game."

Up Next
The Blue Streaks return to the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center on Tuesday, December 2 for the home opener against Saint Vincent College. Tip-off is set for 7 pm.  
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