WAUKESHA, Wis. - Kyle Keranen savored the moment.
Keranen, a 6-foot-1 senior guard from Hartland, Wis., slowly walked off of Ted H. Baker court for the final time with 43.9 seconds remaining as the large, enthusiastic crowd of spectators in Van Male Field House responded with a standing ovation to acknowledge his standout, four-year career contributions to the Carroll University men's basketball program.
It was a fitting conclusion to an emotional Senior Day celebration as Carroll defeated Wheaton College 68-52 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin home-court finale Saturday afternoon.
With the tension-filled victory, the Pioneers improved to 8-7 in the conference standings and 13-11 
overall to keep their hopes for a CCIW tournament berth alive with one regular-season game remaining.
Augustana (11-4), Carthage (10-5) and North Park (10-5) have clinched the top three spots in the four-team tournament field.
The Pioneers, who are slated to travel to Elmhurst in the regular-season finale at 7 p.m. Tuesday, can secure the final spot with a victory combined with wins by Carthage (vs. Wheaton), North Park (vs. Millikin) and Augustana (vs. Illinois Wesleyan). 
As the game remained tied 46-46 midway through the second half, Carroll responded with a decisive 22-6 run over the course of the final nine minutes - including 17 unanswered points during a critical four-minute stretch.
Sophomore point guard Ben Widdes (Rice Lake, Wis.) scored a game-high 18 points with four 3-point baskets, grabbed five rebounds and had four assists to lead the Pioneers, who made seven 3-pointers, 9 of 12 free throws and shot 55.3 percent from field-goal range. Sophomore forward/center Tyler Ingebrigtsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) followed with 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots for the Pioneers.
Freshman guard Nick Penny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) also contributed 11 points and two assists. Junior guard/forward Tanner Zaeske (South Milwaukee, Wis.) chipped in eight points and freshman forward Kale Maupin (Peotone, Ill.) had six points.
Maupin came off the bench to help ignite the critical second-half run for the Pioneers, including a low-post basket and free throw to claim a 49-46 lead with 9:08 remaining.
"Over the course of the second half, we continued to move the ball around, managed to get a lot of good looks and finished on the shots to build momentum," said Maupin, who added a momentum-shifting 3-pointer with 5:13 left.  As that happened, we maintained our intensity on the defensive end, forced the turnovers and just kept it going. 
"It was a very special day. Kyle has been a real mentor to all of the younger kids on the team throughout the season so we really wanted to come out strong in the second half and get this one for him. Being Senior Day, it was just great to be able to get one more big, home-court victory to send him off."
Keranen, sophomore guard Ray Pierce (Milwaukee, Wis.) and sophomore forward Noah Greve (Rosendale, Wis.) each added four points for Carroll, which shot 73.9 percent from the field in the second half.
For Keranen, a four-year starter who eclipsed the prestigious 1,000-point career mark earlier this season, getting a victory in his final home game was something he will always remember.
"To have so many family, friends and other people come out to show their support during such a special celebration really meant a lot," said Keranen, who was presented with his framed No. 3 jersey at center court prior to the game. "Getting a big victory on top of it only added to the experience and really helped put a final stamp on what I've been able to accomplish during my career at Carroll University.
"It's truly hard to put into words what it felt like coming off the court for the final time. I could feel everyone's appreciation for all of the hard work put in over the last four years. Hopefully, I've helped to set the bar for other players when they come into the program. I just want them to be able to feel the same thing that I experienced when coming off the floor for the final time. It was an honor to be a part of it."
Carroll fourth-year head coach Paul Combs was thrilled by how his team continued to play aggressively throughout the day, responded with a gutsy, heart-felt victory and put itself in position to challenge one more time for the final spot in the CCIW tournament.
"Our defensive effort in the second half was as good as it has been all season," said Combs, whose team forced 15 turnovers. "At that point of the game, we were tenacious on the ball, very sticky on their shooters and forced some of their leading scorers (referring to sophomore guard Aston Francis) to take difficult shots.  That's when we rebounded the ball, limited their second-shot opportunities and executed on the offensive end. The ability to share the ball and convert really elevated our defensive effort and played a big factor in our success down the stretch. Our bench just gave us a huge lift when we needed it the most.
Combs was quick to point out that it was only fitting to get a hard-fought, emotional victory to help honor Keranen.
"With time winding down, I called a timeout to give Kyle one more opportunity to be saluted by all of the great fans. It was an emotional moment seeing him walk off the floor one more time.
Looking back on the very special day, it was not only a tribute to Kyle but to the entire Keranen family and what they have contributed to the program over the last four years. We felt very fortunate to be able to say thank you to them and have no doubt that they will be dedicated members of the Pio family for many years to come."
Francis scored a team-high 15 points for Wheaton, which dropped to 8-7 in conference and 12-12 overall. Junior guard Ricky Samuelson and sophomore forward Trevor Gunter each had 11 points for the Thunder, which made six 3-pointers, 12 of 17 free throws and shot 35.4 percent from the field.

PIONEER FAST FACTS
What: The Carroll University men's basketball team defeated Wheaton College 68-52 in a College
Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin home-court finale at Van Male Field House on Saturday to keep their hopes alive for a berth in the CCIW tournament.
Record: 8-7 in conference, 13-11 overall
Scoring Leaders: Ben Widdes (18 points), Tyler Ingebrigtsen (11 points), Nick Penny (11 points), Tanner Zaeske (8 points), Kale Maupin (6 points), Kyle Keranen (4 points), Ray Pierce (4 points) and Noah Greve (4 points)
Rebound Leaders: Ingebrigtsen (6), Widdes (5), Zaeske (5), Pierce (5)
Notable: As the game remained tied 46-46 with 9:24 remaining, Carroll reponded with a decisive 22-4 run over the course of the final minutes - including 17 unanswered points during a critical four-minute stretch.