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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Otterbein University men's basketball came up just short during a back and forth Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) matchup Wednesday evening, falling 82-75 to visiting John Carroll University inside the Rike Center.

The Blue Streak (11-5, 5-4 OAC) scored seven quick points to answer the game, prompting Otterbein head coach Todd Adrian to replace his starters with five new players. The Cardinals bench helped get things going, answering with a quick 11-2 run to jump ahead by the 14:13 mark.

The contest saw a 21-21 tie with seven minutes remaining in the half before Otterbein (3-13, 2-7 OAC) embarked on a 16-4 run over the next four-plus minutes to open a 37-25 advantage. The Cards would eventually take a nine-point margin into the break after sophomore Jake Bischoff nailed a three-pointer to beat the buzzer.

Otterbein held a double-digit lead five minutes into the second half after Antonio Bissuti found Jon Juergens for an easy layup. The Blue Streaks then kicked it into gear with three-consecutive three-pointers and a fast-break dunk, all part of a 20-2 run, to vault ahead 61-53 by the midway point of the period.

Otterbein would not go anywhere, drawing within three after a Bisutti layup at the 6:13 mark and then closing the gap to three again after a three-pointer from Jake Phillis with 1:50 left on the clock.

The Blue Streaks quickly answered with a trifecta of its own on the following possession. Bischoff saw a chance to cut the lead to one on a three-point attempt with 38 seconds remaining, but the ball rimmed out and reliable free-throw shooting the rest of the way allowed JCU to escape victorious.

Rhodes was held scoreless in the second half but still finished with a team-best 15 points. Phillis scored 14 on 5-of-9 shooting while Bischoff and Juergens each added 11.

Joey Vuyancih dropped a game-high 25 points to lead the Blue Streak come-from-behind effort, nailing four three-pointers and converting 7-of-8 free throws.

Otterbein won the rebounding battled 39-37 and made 12 shots from behind the arc, but gave the ball away 20 times as JCU posted a 24-13 edge in points off turnovers. Both benches combined to score 71 points on the night.

The Cardinals will stay at home to finish out the week, hosting Muskingum University Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. Otterbein topped the Muskies in the first matchup of the year, winning 75-64 in New Concord back on Dec. 7.