ALLIANCE, Ohio – Mount Union's men's basketball team, ranked No. 11 in the nation beat John Carroll in an Ohio Athletic Conference matchup 89-80 on Wednesday night.
The Purple Raiders (15-2, 8-2 OAC) had four players score in double figures, with sophomore
Christian Parker (Canton / GlenOak) scoring a career-high 28 points, while grabbing 11 rebounds to secure his fifth double-double of the season. Senior
Ethan Stanislawski (Massillon / Jackson) added 18 points, with junior
Chris Painter Jr. (Akron / St. Vincent-St. Mary) and senior
Darrell Newsom (Twinsburg) adding 14 and 10 respectively.
The Blue Streaks (7-8, 2-6 OAC) were led by Jackson Sartain who scored a team high 20 points and William Wallace who added 19.
Mount Union and John Carroll traded baskets over the first seven minutes when a Stanislawski three sparked a 17-0 run over the next 3:55 to give the Raiders 28-15 lead with 9:41 left in the first half. The Blue Streaks answered with a 12-5 run of their own over 5:51 to cut the lead down to seven with 1:24 remaining in the first half. A three by Parker and a pair of Newsom free throws would give the Raiders a 10-point lead going into the break.
The Raiders were able to maintain their double-digit lead over the first 11 minutes of the first half before John Carroll would go on an 11-3 run to cut the lead down to six with 6:32 remaining in the game. A Blue Streak three by PJ Flannery cut the Mount Union lead down to five with just over two minutes left, however the Raiders would answer with a three from Newsom to take an 86-78 lead with 1:44 remaining in the game. John Carroll was never able to get closer than six for the remainder of the game giving the Raiders an 89-80 victory.
Mount Union is back in action on Saturday, January 29 at 4 p.m. against Ohio Northern in the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex in Alliance.