UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — It's time to go dancing!
The John Carroll University men's basketball team is headed to the NCAA D-III Tournament after a dramatic 88-86 overtime victory over the Mount Union Purple Raiders in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championship on Saturday.
The victory marks John Carroll's first OAC Tournament Championship since 2018 and sixth overall.
The No. 3 Blue Streaks came out hot on Saturday going on a 14-0 run in the first four minutes of the contest. John Carroll's momentum continued as they led the No. 24 Purple Raiders 48-36 at halftime.
However, Mount Union fought back in the second half, tying the game up 73-73 with 2:27 left courtesy of a layup from Collen Gurley, who finished with a team-high 30 points.
In the dramatic final seconds of regulation, a John Carroll foul sent Mount Union's Elijah Farrington to the free throw line, giving the Purple Raiders a 79-77 lead with two seconds left.
Moments later, a Purple Raiders' foul gave John Carroll a final chance to push the OAC Championship into overtime. 2024 OAC Player of the Year and Mentor native Luke Chicone prevailed under pressure for the Blue Streaks giving the team a fresh opportunity after draining both free throws.
Overtime began in a back-and-forth fashion, with both teams exchanging baskets. The turning point in overtime was a three-point bucket from John Carroll's Jerry Higgins III, giving them an 86-83 lead with 2:39 left. John Carroll went on to take home the hardware winning 88-86.
John Carroll was led by Luke Fraizer who scored 28 points, followed by Henry Raynor and Chicone with 16 and 13 points, respectively. Raynor recorded a double-double bringing down 12 rebounds.
After receiving an automatic berth, John Carroll will learn of their opponent for the NCAA Tournament on Monday, Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. during the NCAA Division III Tournament Selection Show.
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