UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio – The Denison men's basketball team battled on Friday afternoon but fell 89-75 to John Carroll at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center. The Big Reds stayed competitive, outscoring the Blue Streaks 41-39 in the second half, but came up short, moving to 10-6 on the season and 5-2 in NCAC play.

First Half: The two teams traded leads to start the game, with Aidan King knocking down back-to-back baskets to give the Big Red a three-point advantage. John Carroll responded with a 3-pointer to tie the game and held the lead until 13:39, when Liam Taylor's 3-pointer put the Big Red back on top, 19-18. The game came to a tie for a while before the Blue Streaks went on a 15-2 run, seizing control and carrying a 50-34 lead into halftime.

Second Half: Denison opened the final quarter with a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to six with 13:08 remaining. The Blue Streaks answered with three back-to-back 3-pointers to extend their lead. The Big Red tried to chip away at the gap with free throws, but John Carroll hit another 3 to push the lead back to 14, 67-53. Denison continued to fight, but the Blue Streaks maintained a double-digit advantage down the stretch, closing out the game 89-75.

Top Performers:

• Liam Taylor led the Big Red in both points and rebounds, finishing with 23 points, 11 boards, and an assist.
• Kellon Smith contributed 21 points, five rebounds, and two assists
• Nick Heath added nine points and an assist.
• Aidan King chipped in four points, eight rebounds, and three assists.