WAUKESHA, Wis. - Ben Widdes' tenacious effort set the tone.
Widdes, a 6-foot sophomore point guard from Rice Lake, Wis., registered a double-double with a team-high 18 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and three steals as the Carroll University men's basketball team upset No. 27-ranked Illinois Wesleyan 67-63 in a physical, uptempo College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin third-place showdown at Van Male Field House on Saturday afternoon.
The dramatic, hard-fought Alumni Day victory took on added significance for Carroll, which improved to 5-3 and moved into sole possession of third place in the conference standings to remain in the hunt for a prestigious CCIW tournament berth.
The Pioneers, who have won four of their last five games, outscored Illinois Wesleyan 33-26 in the first half, including a momentum-shifting 14-3 run over a four-minute span.
"It was a big-time victory in front of all of the fans, friends and family," said Widdes, who ignited the key run with a 3-pointer from the left side of the perimeter to claim a 20-19 lead with 7:10 remaining. "Being a game that went down to the wire, it was great to step up to the challenge, make some big plays and see everyone take care of the ball.
"My role as a point guard is to come out, make plays and do my best to get things going so it was great to be able get the job done. We've worked hard on executing the gameplan in practice and today we carried it over into the game situation. It was just a lot of fun to be a part of it."
Freshman guard Nick Penny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) followed with 15 points, making all eight of his free throws, for the Pioneers, who made seven baskets from 3-point range and 18 of 22 free throws en route to improving to 10-7 overall.
"We battled hard the entire way and my teammates did a great job of putting me in a position to be able to make the free throws at the end," said Penny, who made four pressure-packed free throws within the final minute to help seal the inspirational victory. "They were confident and believed that I would make them with the game on the line. Fortunately, they went through this time around.
"It was a good sized crowd with a lot of alumni so it was nice to step up and come away with the victory. We still have a long way to go but took another step forward."
Junior guard/forward Tanner Zaeske (South Milwaukee, Wis.) finished with 13 points and nine rebounds for the Pioneers, who held a special halftime presentation to honor former Carroll coach Dave Schultz and the 2006-07 team that advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament Sweet 16.
Freshman forward Kale Maupin (Peotone, Ill.) had seven of his 11 points in the first half for Carroll, which outrebounded the Titans 37-29.
"We needed a complete-team effort and everyone contributed today," said Maupin, who showcased his versatility by nailing a wide-open 3-pointer from the right side to increase the lead to 23-19 with 6:32 remaining in the first half. "With some of the foul trouble, we needed a little extra lift off of the bench so it was great to be able to come in and do my part.
"We're the new team in the conference so every team is taking their best shot at us. At this point, we're competing with a chip on our shoulders and playing our hearts out. It was all about playing with confidence."
Sophomore forward/center Tyler Ingebrigtsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) added seven points to round out the scoring leaders.
Carroll, which shot 40.4 percent from field-goal range, outrebounded the Titans 37-29, highlighted by a key 31-26 advantage on the defensive glass.
Carroll fourth-year head coach Paul Combs was thrilled by the way his team stepped up to the difficult task of competing against a nationally-ranked team and made a statement.
"I'm really proud of the guys and this victory confirmed that all of the time invested is paying off," said Combs, whose team savored the opportunity to compete in front of a large group of former players (including Dave Shaw, Don Callender, Rob Bennett, Chris Bumby, Christian Shepley, Brian Fulton, Eric Glass, Mark Gumm, Len Jenson, Jake Bust, Steve Albinger, Jim Langhenry, Ben Fischer, Reid Speiring, Adam Ligocki, Nate Drury, Wes Ladwig, Eric Thompson, Jeremy Bohn, Buck Colomy and Keith Johnson). "Everyone (referring to the players, coaches, alumni and community) was hanging on each possession down the stretch so it great to come away with the positive results at the end. Looking back, this will be one of those games that we remember for a long time to come. They were a very good team so we feel very fortunate to come out on top."
Sophomore guard Colin Bonnett had a game-high 19 points and junior guard Brady Rose contributed 17 points for Illinois Wesleyan, which dropped 4-4 in conference and 12-5 overall. Sophomore guard Nick Coleman added eight points for the Titants, who converted six 3-pointers and 13 of 17 free throws.
PIONEER FAST FACTS
What: The Carroll University men's basketball team upset No. 27-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University 67-63 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin third-place showdown at Van Male Field House on Saturday afternoon.
Scoring Leaders: Ben Widdes (18), Nick Penny (15 points), Tanner Zaeske (13 points), Kale Maupin (11 points), Tyler Ingebrigtsen (7 points)
Rebound Leaders: Widdes (13), Zaeske (9), Penny (5), Maupin (3)
Notable: The Pioneers outscored Illinois Wesleyan 33-26 in the first half, converted seven 3-pointers and made 18 of 22 free throws
