ALLIANCE, Ohio – The No. 6 nationally ranked Mount Union men's basketball team beat No. 9 John Carroll in an Ohio Athletic Conference matchup 75-72 on Wednesday night.

The Purple Raiders (6-1, 1-1 OAC) were led by senior Chris Painter Jr. (Akron / St. Vincent-St. Mary) who scored a game-high 20 points.

The Blue Streaks (6-1, 1-1 OAC) were led by Chase Toppin who also scored a game-high 20 points.

Mount Union and John Carroll would go back and forth over the first 14 minutes of the first half, with neither team able to take a lead greater than three points. Then, with just under six minutes left in the half Luke Chicone made a layup to tie the game at 23 and spark an 11-4 Blue Streak run over the final 5:51 of the first half to give John Carroll a 32-27 lead heading into the halftime break.

After back-to-back John Carroll baskets to open the second half, a step back jumper by Painter would spark an 8-0 run over the next 1:22 to cut the lead down to one with 17:44 left to play. The Blue Streaks would hold onto their lead over the next five minutes until a lay in by junior Christian Parker (Canton / GlenOak) started a 16-3 run over the next 4:25 to give the Raiders their largest lead of the game at 60-48 with 7:44 remaining in the game. John Carroll would answer with a 15-7 run of their own to cut the lead down to four with two minutes left in the game. The Blue Streaks wouldn't be able to get closer than four until the final five seconds of the game, as Mount Union would go on to win 75-72.

The Raiders are home again next when they host Ohio Northern on Saturday, December 10 at 2 p.m. in the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex in Alliance.