John Carroll vs. SUNY New Paltz: Blue Streaks survive NCAA opener, 85-81
Mar. 1—It wasn't pretty but it was pretty simple for the John Carroll men's basketball team.
It survived. It advanced.
On March 1, the Blue Streaks opened the NCAA Division III tournament against visiting SUNY New Paltz and led by 17 at one point in the second half before they hung on for an 85-81 victory.
The win sets up a matchup with Calvin, which defeated Elmhurst, 93-78, at JCU in the first game of the night. Tip-off is 8:20 p.m., and the winner advances to the Round of 16.
PHOTOS: John Carroll vs. SUNY New Paltz men's basketball, March 1, 2024
Junior point guard Luke Chicone (Mentor) had a huge game for JCU, and was clutch in the final minute.
With the Blue Streaks up, 81-79, Chicone drove the lane as the clock shot was winding down and dished to an open Luke Eller (Lake Catholic), who laid the ball in with 22 seconds left.
"That play in particular was a flat ball screen so it was my job to make a play," said Chicone. "I was fortunate enough to make the play. I just got downhill and saw my big down there. Fortunately, he finished."
New Paltz coach Keith Kenney said his team dealing with Chicone the entire game was difficult, especially in the final moments.
"That play was big. He got the job done there," said Kenney on Chicone's dish to Eller. "He's the guy that's the center of everything else. He's hard to prepare for and he made a lot of big-time plays."
Chicone to Eller, @JCUMensHoops leads 83-79 with 22 seconds remaining @jcusports @NHPreps pic.twitter.com/p3tRCysOmf
— Mark Podolski (@mpodo) March 2, 2024
Moments prior to Eller's layup, Chicone made two free throws with just under a minute to play for a four-point advantage.
.@lukechicone steal and 2 FTs puts @JCUMensHoops up 81-77 with minute to play @jcusports pic.twitter.com/cFJidaJWC7
— Mark Podolski (@mpodo) March 2, 2024
Luke Frazier (Lake Catholic) then made two free throws with 13 seconds on the clock to essentially seal the victory.
Chicone finished with 24 points and nine assists but also had help from five other players in double-figure scoring. Will Yontek had 17 points and six rebounds with Henry Raynor added 13 points and eight boards.
"It's a feel when you play a new team, and it's also a feel when you substitute," said Moran about Yontek's big game off the bench. "Who's got the hot hand? Obviously the 17 points and six rebounds he gave us were instrumental."
Frazier had 10 points but struggled shooting as he was 4 of 16 from the field but his two free throws in the final seconds were clutch.
"Frazier is an All-American, there's no question about it," said Moran. "... He didn't have his best offensive performance, and he'll be the first to acknowledge that. To step up and make those crucial free throws tells you the growth he's had in the last year or so."
Eller had 10 points and seven rebounds and Chase Toppin also scored 10.
JCU (25-2) led by as many as 17 points in the second half against the Hawks (20-7), but New Paltz kept chipping away. The Hawks shot 53 percent in the second half.
"They knocked down shots, that's what brought them back," said Moran.
With less than 10 minutes to play, a key moment was when Chicone was fouled and made two free throws. But before that, a technical foul was given to Kenney and Chicone made two more free throws for a four-point trip. JCU's slim 62-55 lead was suddenly 11.
Chicone then made a 3-pointer with 8 minutes remaining for a 69-57 lead. New Platz answered with two baskets to cut the lead to 69-61 but Eller answered with a 12-footer to push the lead back to 10.
New Paltz had another answer as A.J. Knight connected on a 3-pointer at the 6-minute mark to pull it with 71-64. Chicone answered again with a layup off an inbounds play from Henry Raynor.
New Paltz hung around for most of the first half on hustle, scrapping for loose balls and four 3-pointers — despite shooting just 38.7 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. New Paltz was also outrebounded 25-14. For the game, JCU won the battle of the boards, 42-27.
Despite all of that, JCU led by three, 32-29, with a little less than 3 minutes to play before halftime. Then the Blue Streaks turned on its defense with stops and finished the opening half on a 10-0 run.
Eller started the run with a driving layup and Frazier followed with another driving layup. Free throws by Yontek and Eller pushed the advantage to 40-29 until Luke Chicone's acrobatic layup in the final seconds made it a 13-point advantage.
Check out this @lukechicone finish as @JCUMensHoops takes 42-29 lead over SUNY New Paltz into locker room. JCU finished first half on 10-0 run. @jcusports @NHPreps #d3hoops pic.twitter.com/MeUbkNJJBA
— Mark Podolski (@mpodo) March 2, 2024
Chicone had a big first half with eight points and five assists with Will Yontek leading the way with 11 points.
New Paltz's leading scorers were Kobe Bogart with 16 points and A.J. Knight, who had 15.
THE SCORE
John Carroll 85, SUNY New Paltz 81
