What happened to John Carroll Wednesday night never happened last year. But as the Blue Streaks are finding out, last year does not mean much in the here and now.
Heidelberg overcame a 10-point deficit late in the second half to defeat John Carroll, 85-81, handing the Blue Streaks their home conference loss since February of 2008.
Box Score
John Carroll began the game by racing out to a 10-2 lead only to have the Student Princes claw back and tie up the score at 10-10 on a lay-up by Adrian Casey Jr. lay-up at the 15:00 mark.
It would be a recurring theme throughout the first half, as JCU would build a lead only to have the Student Princes rally. After ties at 27, 31 and 34, a closing run aided by four points and an offensive rebound by Patrick Sweeney gave John Carroll a 40-35 advantage at the break.
Heidelberg was quick out of the gate in the second half, racing to 46-43 lead in the first three-and-a-half minutes as Casey’s lay-up capped an 11-3 run.
John Carroll appeared to have the answer, however, when it broke away from the Student Princes midway through the second half. When Tyler Kirsch dropped in a reverse-lay-up with 8:54 to play, he gave the home squad a 64-54 lead.
Nate Davis would provide the power behind the late game surge for the Student Princes. Three thunderous dunks were part of a 18-3 run that gave Heidelberg a 72-67 lead with 2:52 remaining in the contest.
From there, it would be Heidelberg free throws that kept JCU at bay. Never ahead by more than six and never relinquishing the lead, Josh Calver put the final touches on the win with two free throws at the 11 second mark that put the Student Princes ahead by four. Heidelberg was 9-11 at the charity stripe in the final 129 seconds.
Heidelberg (9-5, 5-2 OAC) had five players in double figures, led by 14 from Dane Givner. Calver added 13 while Davis, Casey and Jim Smalley each chipped in 12. The Student Princes were 18-33 (.545) from the field in the second half.
John Carroll (9-5, 5-3), which has lost five of its last eight games, was paced by a game-high 23 points from Corey Shontz and 10 from Joey Meyer. The Blue Streaks forced 27 turnovers but committed 21 themselves.