WESTERVILLE, Ohio - The Otterbein Men's Basketball squad completed a regular-season sweep of John Carroll Wednesday night in the Rike, 79-73, despite the Blue Streaks not going down quietly.

With the loss, John Carroll falls to 7-12 on the season and 2-10 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play. Meanwhile, Otterbein, with its fourth-straight win, improves to 15-6 overall and 9-5 in league games.


WHAT WENT DOWN:

• After a slow 'feel it out' style of play by both sides, Otterbein found its rhythm and began to build a lead.
   
• Brennan Rains and Cam Evans provided the first-half spark, as the duo knocked down a combined six three-point shots... including three in a row. By the time that stretch was over, Otterbein had posted 27 points in the first 10 minutes.
   
• The Cardinals later carried a 44-30 lead into the break led by Evans, who knocked in 4-of-5 from deep, with 17 points.
   
• The second half played more into the hands of the visitors, as JCU was able to cut the lead down to two, 56-54, with 10:57 remaining.
   
• A quick 5-0 Cardinal run fueled by another Evans three and Reid Black lay-in built the lead back up, though, and forced the Blue Streaks into a timeout.
   
• JCU continued to claw and fight out of the timeout, again cutting the lead to one score with a little over five minutes to play.
   
• With plenty of experience in tight games this season, Otterbein remained calm and hit shots when needed. None were more significant than Justin Carter's only three-point make of the night. After an offensive possession that looked like it would end with Black stuck in the paint, the big man found Carter wide open from straight on.
   
• The Cardinals closed the game going 3-4 at the free-throw line, leading them to their first regular-season sweep over JCU since the 2001-02 National Championship season.
   

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Cam Evans tied his season and career-highs with 21 points off the bench; the sophomore stand-out has eclipsed double-figures in four consecutive games.
   
• Dallas Patrick (18) and Justin Carter (17) were the only other Cardinals to reach double-digits.
   
• The Cardinals shot 53-percent from the field while holding JCU to just 40-percent; they also forced the visitors into 15 turnovers that resulted in 19 points.
   

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, Otterbein welcomes Heidelberg to the Rike Center for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The Student Princes won the first meeting in Tiffin, 75-72, they were ranked No. 21 at the time.