Junior MJ Smith erupted for a career-high 27 points to help guide Muskingum past John Carroll on Friday evening, 109-103.

The Basics

• Records: Muskingum (4-5, 4-5), John Carroll (1-3, 1-3)
• Location: Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center – University Heights, Ohio 

Inside The Numbers

• Junior MJ Smith buried seven three-pointers and set a new career-high with 27 points to lead the Muskie offense.
• Junior Trey Singleton finished with 20 points and also grabbed a team-high five rebounds.
• Junior Carson Carter tied his career-high with 18 points.
• Senior Alex Masinelli also got into double-figures with 17 points and dished out a game-high nine assists.
• As a team, the Muskies shot 38-of-65 (.584) from the field and 16-of-26 (.615) from deep.
• Leading the Blue Streaks was Jackson Sartain with 27 points and six assists.
• Eric Hanna and Mason Trubisky also added 19 points and 11 points, respectively.
• As a team, the Blue Streaks shot 38-of-78 (.487) from the field and 17-44 (.386) from the three-point line. 

The Difference

• Both teams came out shooting red-hot from the field, but neither team could take control early.
• The Muskies finished the first half shooting 60 percent from three-point land to grab a 55-50 lead heading into halftime.
• After multiple ties and lead changes after the break, the Muskies were able to settle in and take control of the game midway through the second half.
• At the 11-minute mark, with the game tied, the Muskies erupted for a 16-0 run that spanned over six minutes.
• John Carroll was able to cut the Muskie lead to five but eventually fell short in the end.
• Muskingum's 109 points marked the highest regulation game total for the Muskies since the 2005-06 season when they defeated Heidelberg, 113-78.
• The Muskies finished with a season-high 20 assists to go along with a season-high 16 made three-pointers.
• As a team, Muskingum finished with 33 rebounds.

 Up Next

• The Muskies will look to defend home court and earn a series sweep over John Carroll on Saturday, February 20. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. at the Anne C. Steele Center. The game will be streamed live on fightingmuskies.com and the OAC TV app, with the pregame show starting at 5:45 p.m.