WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's basketball team stayed within striking distance of John Carroll University (JCU) for nearly 30 minutes, but a 12-1 run midway through the second half gave the Blue Streaks an 84-67 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) victory at Hermann Court on Saturday.
The Fightin' Quakers will be the No. 7 seed for next week's OAC Tournament and travel to Marietta College for a quarterfinal on Tuesday evening.
John Carroll built up a double-digit lead midway through the first half on a deep three-pointer from Sean Flannery. Trailing 24-13 after the shot, Wilmington battled back to within five (40-35) on a Matt Smith steal and score with under three minutes to play. That deficit maintained until another Flannery triple with a minute to play put the visitors back up 10. Two Jeffery Mansfield triples made the score 49-41 at halftime.
Wilmington used the first portion of the second half to get within six points (61-55) on an old-fashioned, three-point play from Abdul Kanu, who missed the majority of the first half in foul trouble. Unfortunately for the Quakers, they would score just one Kanu free throw over the next seven minutes. Two Mansfield free throws broke the streak as the sophomore would hit a triple on the next possession, but Wilmington wouldn't get back within single digits.
The Blue Streaks finished 31-of-61 (50.8 percent) from the field to go along with 7-of-23 (30.4 percent) from distance while the Quakers converted on 25-of-67 (37.3 percent) from the field and 5-of-23 (21.7 percent) from beyond the arc. Both squads finished over 75 percent from the free throw line and grabbed between 35-40 rebounds.
All five Blue Streaks scored in double figures with the Berger brothers leading the way. Ryan Berger scored a team-high 18 points while Jimmy Berger added 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks.
Mansfield led the Quakers with 16 points, three rebounds and three assists off the bench. Matt Smith added a career-high 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting while Kanu also finished in double figures with 13 points.
Wilmington concludes its regular season with a 10-15 overall record. Tip-off for the Quakers' OAC Tournament quarterfinal at Marietta is scheduled for 8 p.m.
