(Waukesha, Wis.) - Saturday marks the final home basketball game for seniors Kevin Hurd, Alec Molter, Andrew Nottling, Christian Shepley and Emily DeNoyer but more importantly, the outcomes against Monmouth College could go a long way in determining post-season fates for the Carroll University men's and women's basketball programs. The Pioneer men tip-off against the Fighting Scots at 1 p.m. followed by the women's game at approximately 3 p.m.

Carroll's men had their four game Midwest Conference winning streak snapped on Tuesday night with a 68-62 loss to No. 6 St. Norbert College. Despite the loss, the Pioneers have gone 6-2 in their last eight league games to gain control of their own destiny as it pertains to MWC Tournament qualification.

Carroll enters Saturday's game in fourth place with a league mark of 10-6, a half-game behind Ripon College at 10-5. Grinnell College continues to hold down the second spot at 11-4 with only the undefeated Green Knights (15-0) ahead of them. With Illinois College and Lawrence University tied for fifth place with seven losses (8-7), Carroll can guarantee themselves a spot in the MWC Tournament with victories over Monmouth and Beloit College (Feb. 19). The Fighting Scots are currently 10^th in the 11-team league standings with a record of 5-11.

Carroll won a scrappy game at Monmouth on Jan. 8, 66-54. In that game, Nottling scored a team-best 20 points while connecting on all six of his field goal attempts. As a team, Carroll hit 58.8% of their shots from the field.

The Pioneers led early by as many as seven points but the Fighting Scots made a run midway through the opening 20 minutes and claimed a four point lead of their own before going into the break with a 26-24 lead. Monmouth then scored the opening basket of the second half to extend its lead to four but Carroll quickly retook the lead for good at 32-30 with 16:32 to play. The Pioneers extended their lead to double-digits but Monmouth made one last run and cut its deficit to two points (47-45) at the 7:09 mark. An 11-0 run by Carroll ensued to put the game to bed.

Saturday's women's game will mark the end of a brutal three-game stretch for Kris Jacobsen's team. The three-game stretch saw the Pioneers matchup against co-league leaders Cornell College (13-2) and St. Norbert College (13-2) and second place Monmouth (13-3). Carroll, 10-6 in the MWC, is currently fourth in the league standings and controls its own destiny for tournament qualification. Illinois College (9-6) and Ripon College (8-7) are currently fifth and sixth in the MWC, respectively.

Monmouth stumbled out of the gate, going 0-2 at the start, but has since gone 13-1 in league play that has included victories over Cornell and St. Norbert as well as a 71-69 win over Carroll on Jan. 8.

The Jan. 8 game was the first of many close games for Carroll in 2014. The Pioneers overcame a seven point second half deficit and held a 69-65 advantage with 3:02 to play on a three-pointer by DeNoyer. It would prove to be Carroll's last basket as Monmouth closed out the game with a 6-0 run that included a game-winning three-pointer with nine seconds remaining in the game. DeNoyer finished with a team-best 20 points while Brianna Johnson added 14 points. Corrine Engels chipped in with 13 points, eight assists and five rebounds.

DeNoyer has been on a scoring hot-streak the past two weeks and has positioned herself to achieve a career milestone. With 985 career points, she is seeking to become just the 14^th player in Carroll women's basketball history to reach the 1,000 career-point plateau.

Carroll's 1,000 point "club"
Amy Vanden Langenberg - 2,039 - 1982-1986
Crystal Hoewisch - 1,791 - 2004-2008
Lynn Dusold - 1,703 - 1983-1987
Janelle Groer - 1,519 - 2008-2012
Lyndsey Seewald - 1,227 - 2007-2011
DeAnna DeMuri - 1,168 - 1990-1994
Mary Uhalt - 1,130 - 1974-1978
Kim Wickert - 1,123 - 2004-2008
Pam DuBiel - 1,115 - 1981-1985
Corey Grosskopf - 1,087 - 1999-2003
Krista Rode - 1,086 - 2001-2006
Crystal Grosskopf - 1,032 - 1996-2000
Betsy Boenning - 1,008 - 1989-1993