CHICAGO, Ill. - Senior guard Kyle Keranen (Hartland, Wis.) scored a season-high 30 points but it wasn't enough as the Carroll University men's basketball team lost to University of Chicago 94-83 in the opening round of the four-team University of Chicago Thanksgiving Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
It was the first loss of the season for the Pioneers, who dropped to 3-1 overall and will face East-West University in the tournament consolation game Sunday at 1 p.m.
UOC improved to 3-1 overall and advanced to face DePauw University in the championship game at 3 p.m.
DePauw, 2-2 overall, defeated East-West 86-77 in the other first-round game.
The Maroons led 41-37 at halftime and sealed a victory by outscoring Carroll 53-46 in the decisive second half, including a decisive 22-9 run over a critical six-minute stretch.
Junior guard/forward Tanner Zaeske (South Milwaukee, Wis.) followed with 14 points, senior guard/forward Joel Heesch (Mauston, Wis.) had 10 points and freshman guard Nick Penny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) chipped in eight points for the Pioneers, who made 17 of 19 free throws and four baskets from 3-point range.
Sophomore guard Ben Widdes (Rice Lake, Wis.) had six points with sophomore forward/center Tyler Ingebrigtsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) and sophomore guard Troy Howat (Plainfield, Ill.) each adding five points for Carroll, which shot 57 percent from field-goal range.
The Pioneers trimmed the deficit to 68-66 with 7:52 remaining on a 3-pointer by Keranen but couldn't get any closer.
Senior forward Waller Perez scored 20 of his team-high 24 points to lead University of Chicago, which improved to 3-1 overall. Senior forward Blaine Crawford collected 23 points and sophomore guard Noah Karras had 22 points for the Maroons, which converted nine 3-pointers, made 19 of 33 free throws and shot 60 percent from the field.