John Carroll men's basketball wins in OT vs. Skidmore at Naples Classic
Dec. 30—The John Carroll men's basketball team needed overtime at the Naples Classic in Florida, but the Blue Streaks got a much-needed victory on Dec. 30 before returning to Northeast Ohio.
JCU improved to 9-2 with an 83-78 win over Skidmore College at the Community School of Naples thanks to clutch play by Luke Frazier and Luke Chicone.
MBB: Blue Streaks survive Skidmore scare, heading home from Florida on a winning note
https://t.co/zfLBSSuAQq#GoStreaks ⚡️ @JCUMensHoops pic.twitter.com/MfDhDl143r
— John Carroll Sports (@jcusports) December 31, 2022
For the second straight game at Naples, the Blue Steaks trailed at halftime — this time, 30-27. On Dec. 29, they trailed Wisconsin-Superior, 46-31, at the break and never recovered in a 87-76 loss.
This time, JCU rallied but needed OT to secure the victory.
"We had to get this win," said Frazier, a Lake Catholic graduate. "We didn't want to go 0-2 (at Naples), so we looked at this game like it was must-win."
Frazier (Lake Catholic) had his second big scoring game in Naples with 25 points and eight rebounds. On Dec. 29 against Wisconsin-Superior, Frazier scored 32 points.
"We have so many great players, everyone is capable of having big nights," said Frazier.
Mentor grad Chicone added 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Chase Toppin also scored 18 points and pulled down four rebounds. Will Yontek was also in double figures with 10 points.
The Blue Streaks led by double digits, 68-58, with 7 minutes to play, but Skidmore (4-5) wouldn't go away. A 14-2 run put Skidmore ahead with 3:30 to play after a 3-pointer by Mark Engel.
JCU responded when a jumper by Frazier tied the game at 72. Then two free throws by Frazier were good for a 74-72 lead.
Skidmore answered again when Joey Skoric made a 3 with 50 seconds remaining in regulation and the Blue Steaks trailed, 75-74.
With four seconds remaining, Chicone was fouled and went to the free-throw line but missed the first. He made the second to send the game to OT tied at 75.
"It was huge," Frazier said of Chicone's free throw to force OT. "I knew he would make it. He never goes 0-for-2."
In the OT, JCU outscored Skidmore, 8-3, and secured the win on layups by Chicone and Yontek. Frazier's two free throws with 17 seconds remaining all but clinched the victory.
For the second straight game, the Blue Streaks struggled shooting from the floor, making just 28 of 79 shots for 35.4%. They were 0 for 8 from 3-point range.
On the plus side, JCU made good on 27 of 33 free throws and won the rebounding battle, 50-48.
Up next for the Blue Streaks is a huge Ohio Athletic Conference showdown with first-place Heidelberg on Jan. 4 at JCU.
"They beat Mount, so we have to show everyone in the conference that we can beat them and be No. 1 in the league," said Frazier.
JCU women also win
The JCU women were also at the Naples Classic and went 2-0.
On Dec. 29, the Blue Streaks (7-4) defeated Connecticut College, 50-40, on Dec. 29 then secured a 62-60 win against Maine Maritime Academy, 62-60, on Dec. 30.
Against Maine Maritime, JCU was led by Chardon graduate Halle Landies, who scored 23 points and made five 3-pointers.
Landies was huge down the stretch Dec. 30. She made a layup to give the Blue Streaks a 60-58 lead with 19 seconds remaining in regulation. After Maine Maritime tied the game at 60, Landies was fouled with 1 second on the clock, and made both free throws to clinch the victory.
