WHEATON, Ill. - Sophomore Ben Widdes (Rice Lake, Wis.) scored 12 of his 21 points in the first half but it wasn't enough as the Carroll University men's basketball team lost to Wheaton College 78-71 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at King Arena on Wednesday.
It was the fourth consecutive road loss for Carroll, which dropped to 1-2 in the conference standings and 6-6 overall.
The nail-biting, neck-and-neck battle completed a brutal string of six straight road games for the Pioneers, who completed the challenging stretch with a 2-4 record (highlighted by a dramatic 84-81 victory over No. 18-ranked North Park University on Dec. 20).
Carroll led 55-54 with 9:41 remaining in the contest but struggled to sustain the momentum - ultimately falling victim to a critical 7-0 run over the course of a two-minute span.
Widdes, a 6-foot guard, also converted 7 of 8 free throws, had five assists and grabbed four rebounds for the Pioneers, who shot 50 percent from field-goal range but yielded 34 points in the paint.
Freshman guard Nick Penny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) contributed 14 points with a team-best three baskets from 3-point range for Carroll, which converted nine 3-pointers, made 14 of 17 free throws and committed only nine turnovers. Senior guard Kyle Keranen (Hartland, Wis.) and junior guard/forward Tanner Zaeske (South Milwaukee, Wis.) each followed with nine points with sophomore forward/center Tyler Ingebrigtsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) adding eight points.
Sophomore guard Aston Francis scored a team-high 21 points with five 3-pointers to lead Wheaton, which improved to 2-1 in conference and 6-6 overall. Junior guard Ricky Samuelson and freshman guard Jake Mlagan each had 10 points for the Thunder, who made nine 3-pointers and 11 of 15 free throws.
Wheaton, which shot 52 percent from the field, outrebounded the Pioneers 32-22 - maintaining a 10-3 advantage on the offensive glass.