Cincy Reporter

The John Carroll Men's Basketball team got a pretty post-Christmas vacation this winter, as they traveled to Naples for the D3 Destinations Naples Shootout. 

In the first game of a back-to-back, the Blue Streaks went head-to-head against the Yellowjackets of the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Unfortunately, this one ended in the Blue & Gold's second loss of the season, as they fell by a final score of 87-76. 

The first twenty minutes were a struggle for JCU, to say the least. The Blue Streaks got off to a slow start on defense, not finishing possessions and giving the Yellowjackets second chances. Chase Toppin was the early spark, providing two of JCU's first three buckets. However, the Blue Streaks couldn't get much on offense for the first 13 minutes of the first other than that. They had trouble in the early going getting things started on offense, as shots weren't falling, and they were getting beat physically. 

In the later stages of the half, the Blue & Gold began to come to life. The ball started to move on offense and the defense managed to string some stops together as the Clevelanders scratched and clawed their way back into it. 

The Yellowjackets would always find the answer, however, shooting an exceptional 54% from the field, something the normally stingy Blue Streaks defense doesn't see. Luke Frazier and Luke Chicone kept the team afloat however, getting some big buckets to keep JCU within striking distance, going to the locker room with the score at 46-31. 

The Blue Streaks came out in the second half with a much greater energy than the first. Luka Eller and Connor O'Toole both got it done early with two quick charges. The JCU defense also tightened up out of the break. As the half wore on, the Blue & Gold kept fighting and never gave up, despite trailing by as many as 22. Chase Toppin and Jerry Higgins III led the charge on defense, giving the Blue Streaks a great chance to come back from that huge deficit.

They brought a new level of defensive intensity and got to within 9 points and began to give the Yellowjackets fits in the halfcourt. On offense, Luke Frazier continued to be the primary scorer for the Blue Streaks in the second half, finding ways to get to the bucket and keeping JCU close. 

Unfortunately for the Blue Streaks, it wasn't enough, as shots still were not falling at a high enough clip, and the Yellowjackets continued to persevere. The strong second half effort would fall just short despite winning the second half, as the Blue Streaks dropped a 87-76 decision to Wisconsin-Superior.

For JCU, Luke Frazier led the team in scoring, notching a season-high 32 points, going 12-21. The star also grabbed six rebounds and had 4 steals. Luke Chicone got into foul trouble early in the second half but still contributed a solid 18 points and 3 assists. Chase Toppin finished with 12 points, Luka Eller chipped in 7, Henry Raynor had 2, and Will Yontek had 5. 

The Blue Streaks were cold from beyond the arc shooting a season low 3-for-19, completely uncharacteristic for the team. 

John Carroll has a chance however to bounce back, as they have one more game in Naples against Skidmore at 3 pm tomorrow. 

Original source can be found here.