WESTERVILLE, Ohio – It was a tough night for the Otterbein men's basketball team up north in Cleveland, running into host and No. 6-ranked John Carroll on a winning streak inside the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.
A cold first half offensively put the Cardinals into a hole, and JCU would gradually pull away en route to a 79-52 Ohio Athletic Conference win. The Streaks are now 20-2 overall this season and have won a dozen games in a row.
THE GAME:
- Otterbein shot just 6 of 32 in the first half, including a tough 2 of 18 rate from behind the arc.
- JCU opened a 21-7 lead as a result and eventually walked into halftime with a 38-20 cushion.
- The Cardinals shot much better in the second half at over 41%, but most of the damage had unfortunately been done…
- The nationally-ranked Blue Streaks went almost identical from the field in both halves to keep the Cardinals at a distance.
THE STATS:
- Both sides combined to shoot 8 of 47 from three-point range.
- Julian Heckman was the only Cardinal in double figures scoring at 13.
- JCU finished with a 51-39 edge in rebounding.
- Chase Toppin (14) paced three Blue Streaks in double figures.
- Otterbein committed twice as many turnovers (20) as the hosts (10).
UP NEXT:
- Otterbein stays on the road to conclude the week, heading over to Heidelberg come Saturday afternoon for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.
