NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Three players scored in double figures but it wasn't enough as the Carroll University men's basketball team lost to North Central College 82-72 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at the Gregory Arena on Wednesday night.
It was the second conference loss in the last three games for Carroll, which dropped to 6-5 in the league standings and 11-9 overall.
The Pioneers, who are currently tied with North Central for fourth place with five regular-season games remaining, led 38-37 at halftime but were outscored 45-34 in the decisive second half.
Junior guard/forward Tanner Zaeske (South Milwaukee, Wis.) scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Carroll, which converted eight baskets from 3-point range, 22 of 25 free throws and shot 50 percent from the field. Freshman guard Nick Penny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) contributed 15 points and senior guard Kyle Keranen (Hartland, Wis.) had 12 points - including 10 of 10 free throws - for the Pioneers.
Sophomore guard Cory Nies (Fond du Lac, Wis.) and freshman forward/center Tyler Barman (Black Earth, Wis.) each added seven points.
Senior guard Jagger Anderson and junior forward Alex Sorenson each scored a game-high 22 points for North Central, which improved to 12-8 overall.