KENOSHA, Wis. - Freshman guard Nick Penny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) scored 11 of his team-high 19 points in the first half to lead the Carroll University men's basketball team to an 81-76 victory over Carthage College in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Tarble Arena on Wednesday.
The impressive road performance was the third conference victory in the last four games for Carroll, which improved to 4-3 in the highly-contested league standings (moving into a tie for third place with Carthage and Illinois Wesleyan) and 9-7 overall.
Carroll, which took another strong step forward to remain in the thick of the race for a CCIW tournament berth with nine conference games remaining on the regular-season schedule, outscored the Redmen 43-39 over the course of the opening 20 minutes.
Leading 60-57 midway through the first half, the Pioneers responded with what became a critical 12-4 run over a five-minute stretch.
Senior guard Kyle Keranen (Hartland, Wis.) contributed 13 points and five rebounds for Carroll, which made seven baskets from 3-point range and 26 of 33 free throws. Freshman forward Kale Maupin (Peotone, Ill.) followed with 11 points and freshman guard/forward Charlie Soule (Oregon, Wis.) chipped in 10 points.
Junior guard/forward Tanner Zaeske (South Milwaukee, Wis.) and sophomore guard Ben Widdes (Rice Lake, Wis.) each had nine points for Carroll, which shot 48 percent from the field. Sophomore forward/center Tyler Ingebrigtsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) added eight points.
The Pioneers outrebounded Carthage 33-30, maintaining a 24-19 advantage on the defensive glass.
Senior forward Mike Stevenson scored a team-high 19 points for Carthage, which dropped to 4-3 in conference and 11-5 overall. Senior guard Kevin Kozil and junior forward Brad Kruse each had 11 points for the Redmen, who made five 3-pointers, 23 of 31 free throws and shot 43.6 from the field.