Following what has become a familiar pattern, the Blue Streaks fell behind early in the contest. Ohio Northern scored 10 of the first 12 points of the game -- four from Sam Mikolajewski -- over the first six minutes of the game to take an eight-point lead.
The Blue Streaks would chip away at the lead thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Matt Moran, and eventually go in front 15-12 on a Peter Koch lay-up and free throw following a foul at the 9:09 mark.
JCU would lead by as much as six points in the first half before settling on a 33-30 halftime advantage.
In a marked departure from the first half, it was John Carroll who exploded at the start of the second. A Jerry Angel jumper was followed by back-to-back threes by Pete Moran and Angel to put JCU up 41-30 just two minutes in to the period.
For a majority of the first ten minutes of the second half, the Blue Streaks held a double digit lead. Ohio Northern would fight back, however, and pull to within four points on two occasions. A three-pointer by senior Chad Bostleman cut the JCU lead to 57-53 with 9:13 to play, and another three by Jim Conrad made the score 60-56 with 8:13 left on the clock.
Angel answered with another pair of back-to-back threes to push the John Carroll lead back up to ten points at 66-56. Ohio Northern never got closer than eight points the rest of the game.
With the victory, John Carroll (21-5) advances to the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament championship game for the second consecutive year and will face Mount Union (18-9) in the title tilt. Brandon Mimes led the way this evening with 18 points on 7-10 shooting from the field, while Matt Moran had 15 points and Angel added 13. The Blue Streaks were 17-31 (.548) from the field in the second half, including 6-9 (.667) from three-point range.
John Carroll and Mount Union split their regular season series, each winning on their own home floor. The Purple Raiders defeated the Blue Streaks, 72-59, in Alliance on January 21st. John Carroll rallied from a 20-point first half deficit in the second go-around to defeat Mount Union, 84-80, in University Heights on February 4.
Ohio Northern (19-8) was led by Conrad's game-high 20 points. He was 7-18 from the field but just 2-9 from three-point range. Bostelman contributed 17 points and Mikolajewski had 10 points.
John Carroll is the defending tournament champions having defeated Capital in the 2003 title game, 94-86, to earn the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Championship.
Ohio Northern vs John Carroll OAC Men's Basketball Championship - Semifinal Round 02/27/04 8:00 pm at DeCarlo Varsity Center JOHN CARROLL 79, OHIO NORTHERN 62 OHIO NORTHERN (19-8) Jim Conrad 7-18 4-5 20; Chad Bostelman 6-9 2-2 17; Sam Mikolajewski 3-5 4-6 10; Mark Killian 2-5 0-2 4; Phil Hoying 1-1 2-2 4; Greg Badenhop 1-7 2-2 4; Billy Barkimer 1-1 1-2 3; B.J. Theisen 0-1 0-0 0; Nate Leib 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 21-50 15-21 62. JOHN CARROLL (21-5) Brandon Mimes 7-10 4-6 18; Matthew Moran 5-10 1-2 15; Jerry Angel 4-10 2-2 13; David Gibbons 4-10 0-1 8; Jon Franks 3-6 1-1 7; Peter Koch 2-5 3-3 7; Pete Moran 1-4 0-0 3; Andrew Salata 1-1 1-1 3; Michael Grogan 1-8 0-0 3; Demetrius Travis 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 29-65 12-16 79. Ohio Northern................. 30 32 - 62 John Carroll.................. 33 46 - 79 3-point goals-Ohio Northern 5-24 (Chad Bostelman 3-6; Jim Conrad 2-9; Greg Badenhop 0-6; Nate Leib 0-3), John Carroll 9-22 (Matthew Moran 4-6; Jerry Angel 3-8; Michael Grogan 1-4; Pete Moran 1-2; Peter Koch 0-2). Fouled out--Ohio Northern-None, John Carroll-None. Rebounds-Ohio Northern 29 (Sam Mikolajewski 8), John Carroll 44 (Jerry Angel 8). Assists-Ohio Northern 4 (Billy Barkimer 2), John Carroll 11 (Peter Koch 3). Total fouls-Ohio Northern 21, John Carroll 20. A-1200