ELMHURST, Ill. - Junior guard Ray Pierce (Milwaukee, Wis.) scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half as the Carroll University men's basketball team lost to Elmhurst College 64-58 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin opener at R.A. Faganel Hall on Saturday afternoon.
Senior guard/forward Joel Heesch (Mauston, Wis.) followed with 10 points and seven rebounds for Carroll, which dropped to 2-3 overall.
The Pioneers led 41-37 with 16:18 remaining in the second half but yielded what proved to be a decisive 17-4 run over a key seven-minute stretch.
Junior forward Tyler Ingebrigtsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) and junior point guard Ben Widdes (Rice Lake, Wis.) each had eight points for the Pioneers, who made 14 of 21 free throws, two baskets from three-point range and shot 37.5 percent from the field.
Sophomore guard Nick Penny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) chipped in six points and senior guard/forward Tanner Zaeske (South Milwaukee, Wis.) added five points.
Carroll trimmed the deficit to 56-54 on a tip-in basket by Pierce with 4:04 left but couldn't get any closer.
Junior forward Lance Gardner and sophomore guard/forward Derek Dotlich each scored a team-high 15 points for Elmhurst, which improved to 4-1 overall.
The Bluejays, who shot 40.7 percent from the field, made five 3-pointers and 11 of 21 free throws.