Muskies defeat Ohio Athletic Conference foe John Carroll 82-69

The men's basketball team defeated one of the top teams in the Ohio Athletic Conference, John Carroll, with a score of 82-69.

Senior Kyle Clinedinst led all scorers and recorded his career high with 28 points, along with eight rebounds and three steals.

Senior Josh Brindley chipped in 19 points and eight boards.

"We just knew that John Carroll was one of the best offensive teams in the league going up against us, who have one of the best defenses in the league," said Brindley. "We knew it was going to be a marathon battle and we fought for 40 minutes."

The game went back and forth consistently throughout the first half. Neither team had an advantage, with several lead changes and none of them going over seven points.

A spark erupted in the gym as the final seconds began to wind down and with three seconds left on the clock, senior Carson Thomas threw up a deep three, banking it, to make the Muskies go up by one, right into halftime.

In the second half the Muskies were able to get open shots and get to the line and open up their lead to 53-46, with nine minutes remaining in the game. The Blue Streaks kept fighting back, making it a game and the Muskies received another key moment for themselves.

First-year Nick Levin stole a pass from John Carroll and took off up the court, with a three-on-one fast break. Levin stopped at the top of the key and pulled up for a three-pointer.

It fell in and once again the gym exploded in cheers and the Blue Streaks were forced to call a timeout to slow down the momentum. The timeout didn't work and from that point on, the game was in the hands of the Muskies.

First-year Logan Kimble contributed to the game with 13 points.

"We won the game off of the consistency of our play and it was key to us pulling out the game," said Kimble.

Sophomore Isaiah Shakespeare started point guard and directed the traffic for the Muskies.

"We won the John Carroll game because our seniors stepped up big time for us," said Shakespeare. "With this big win, though, we must keep working hard at practice and preparing for our upcoming opponents."

Muskingum will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 21 on the road against Ohio Northern University. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.