Will Starks is one of several Blue Streaks given the green light to score at will. Photo by John Reid III/JCU Sports Information

By Greg Chandler

Faster than a speeding bullet, the John Carroll men's basketball team has zoomed up the Division III national rankings on the wings of a 7-0 start.

The Blue Streaks weren't ranked at the beginning of the season, but their start has propelled them to a No. 11 national ranking in the most recent D3hoops.com poll. The run has included a streak of three consecutive 100-point performances – the first time in the 96-year history of the JCU program.

The streak of 100-point performances began on Nov. 15 with a 100-88 win over St. Mary's (Md.). It was then followed by back-to-back century performances at the Coach Jim Connor Classic at Thomas More, blasting Birmingham Southern 117-93 and Rust 120-88.

Last week, John Carroll opened OAC play with double-digit victories, downing Heidelberg 82-63 and downing Ohio Northern on the road 86-68. And that's with what head coach Mike Moran calls "a shooting slump."

"We haven't hit a good percentage from the 3-point line for the last couple of weeks," Moran said. "Normally, the 3-point arc has been our charity line."

JCU uses a platoon system where it often subs five players into the game at a time to keep players fresh. Intense defensive pressure leads to more possessions, and the Blue Streaks like to push the ball at every opportunity.

"The perimeter shooting mostly comes from Will Starks, David Linane, Danny Wallack, Ryan Farragher and Tony Vuyancih," Moran said. "(They) all have a green light to let it fly at anytime - and they all are frequent flyers."

Despite averaging nearly 98 points a game, JCU has no one player averaging more than 13.3 points per game. Nine players average at least six points per contest, led by Linane's 13.3 and Vuyancih's 12.6. Starks shoots 46 percent from 3-point range and hit seven treys in a game earlier this year against St. Mary's. Linane is also an outstanding distributor, averaging 6.3 assists a contest.

John Carroll hits the road on Saturday to face Wilmington, then comes home for an early-season OAC showdown with No. 8 Marietta on Dec. 19.

Denison's Holmes staking her claim in the post

Fresh off a season where she led all of Division III women's basketball in blocked shots, Denison junior center Jordan Holmes is off to a huge start this season.

The 6-1 Holmes had a dominating performance for the Big Red in their NCAC opener, leading Denison to a 64-46 win over Oberlin. Holmes personally outscored the Yeowomen 12-9 in the first quarter in helping the Big Red build a 12-point lead. She finished the night with 26 points, 17 rebounds and eight blocked shots, becoming Denison's all-time career leader in rebounds with 935.

Earlier in the season, Holmes blocked her way into the Denison and NCAC record book. In a tournament at North Park, she blocked 21 shots in two games, including 13 against Elmhurst. She also grabbed 39 rebounds in the two wins over North Park and Elmhurst. She now has 363 career rejections.

So far on the season, Holmes is averaging 14.8 points, 18.9 rebounds and nine blocked shots per game while playing nearly every minute. Her defensive presence is a big reason why Big Red opponents shoot only 29 percent from the field.

Bishops putting an "OWUch" on opponents with 8-0 start

Ohio Wesleyan opened NCAC play with two impressive victories last week to run its record to a perfect 8-0.

The Battling Bishops, who began the year ranked 13th in the D3hoops.com preseason poll, have jumped up to No. 4 on the strength of their start, which included an 88-75 win over traditional power Wooster and a 92-82 victory on the road at Denison.

Senior wing Claude Gray led the way for OWU in the two wins, scoring 17 points and pulling down six boards against Wooster, then exploding for 30 points and eight boards against Denison. He shot 41 percent from 3-point range in the two games as he earned NCAC Player of the Week honors. Center Ben Simpson went for 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win over the Fighting Scots.

OWU, which already owns an impressive road win at Illinois Wesleyan, is solid both inside and out. Gray leads four Bishops in double figures at 17.6 points per game, with guards Seth Clark (15.3) and Nate Axelrod (14.8) capable of going off from the outside at any time. Clark hit seven 3s earlier this season in a victory over Trine. Simpson is averaging a double-double at 13.6 points and 10.4 boards a game.

The Bishops head to Hiram this week to try to keep their streak going.

OAC watch: Marietta women

Even though it suffered its first loss of the season last week, the Marietta women are off to their best start in 25 years.

The Pioneers, who were just 9-17 last year and haven't had a winning season since the 1994-95 campaign, won their first seven games before dropping a narrow 63-61 decision to Wilmington on Saturday. Among Marietta's signature wins so far was an 83-74 victory against a previously-unbeaten Wooster team.

Marietta uses a balanced scoring attack and a very disciplined approach that has resulted in the Pioneers committing fewer turnovers than anyone else in the OAC – just 13.4 turnovers per game. Amisha Herd leads Marietta in scoring at 11.6 points per game with Brooke Borich not far behind at 11.4. Freshman forward Corrie Burkhardt averages nearly 10 rebounds per game, and was spectacular against Wooster with 20 points and 17 boards, with nine of the rebounds coming on the offensive end.

Other notable performances

Mount Union and Baldwin Wallace staged a shootout in an OAC matchup that needed two overtimes to decide. The two teams combined for 32-of-60 from 3-point range and 219 points in the contest, with the Purple Raiders emerging victorious, 110-109.

JJ Kukura came off the bench firing for Mount Union, nailing seven 3-pointers and finishing with 33 points. Jake Jacubec added 27 for the Purple Raiders and Jarrett Ruffin 25, offsetting Baldwin Wallace's Cam Kuhn, who set a B-W single-game scoring mark with 51 points and tied another record with nine triples.

Carnegie Mellon's Lisa Murphy set an NCAA record for most consecutive shots made in a game against LaRoche as she was a perfect 16-for-16 from the field, scoring 37 points in an 81-73 win. She also tied the NCAA mark for consecutive shots made for a season with 18, dating back to a Nov. 24 win over Waynesburg. Murphy had an "off" day on Saturday, making 13-of-17 from the floor and scoring 28 points as the Tartans beat Oberlin.

Allegheny senior Kaitlyn Fromknecht had a triple double for the Gators – 10 points, 11 rebounds and 13 blocked shots – in leading the Gators to a 69-52 win over Hiram. The 13 blocks tied a NCAC record established only weeks earlier by Denison's Jordan Holmes.

Hope's Sam Otto came into Saturday's game against Carthage averaging only eight points per game, but with starting center Brock Benson injured, Otto responded with seven 3-pointers and 27 points as the Flying Dutchmen defeated the Red Men, 93-83. The Hope win capped a 4-0 weekend for MIAA teams (Hope and Calvin) against CCIW rivals Carthage and Wheaton in the final Midwest Challenge, ending a 12-year tournament featuring the four traditional Midwest powers.

Around the Great Lakes was written by Greg Chandler during the 2015-16 season. He is a veteran journalist and broadcaster who has followed Division III basketball for more than 25 years. He has called Hope basketball for radio, including the 2006 national championship run, and served as the first publicist for the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association.