(De Pere, Wis.) – The Carroll University men's basketball team came up just short in an epic come-from-behind bid in the finals of the Midwest Conference Tournament.
 
The Pioneers trailed St. Norbert College by 11 points with 1:44 remaining in the game before going on a 15-4 run to tie the score at 69-69 with seven seconds to play. The Green Knight's, ranked No. 8 in the country by D3.hoops.com, knocked down a pair of free throws on the closing seconds for a 71-69 victory and the MWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Carroll, 20-5 on the season, must wait for selection Monday to see if it receives a coveted at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Pioneers entered the MWC Tournament ranked No. 8 in the central region but is likely to move up a couple of spots before the selection takes place. Carroll's win over Ripon College in yesterday's semifinals gave the Pioneers their first 20-win season since the 2005-2006 season.
 
St. Norbert led 31-27 at halftime then extended to as much as a 15 point lead in the second half. The Green Knights led 48-33 with 13:41 to play. The Pioneers heated up from the field in later stages of the second half and ended the half by connecting on 53.6% of their field goals.
 
The most notable field goal for Carroll came with seven seconds remaining with Carroll trailing 69-66. CU's Tyler Diehl hit a step-back three-pointer to send Pioneer fans into a frenzy before the Green Knights hit their winning free throws.
 
Joel Heesch had a standout game for Carroll, finishing with a team-high 18 points and eight rebounds. Kyle Keranen, Bryan Nagy and Nick Lange added 11 points each.