BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Carroll University men's basketball team couldn't overcome an uncharacteristic slow first half as it lost to Illinois Wesleyan 87-64 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at the Shirk Center on Saturday night.
It was the second consecutive conference road loss for Carroll, which dropped to 6-6 in conference and 11-10 overall.
The frustrating loss took on added significance as the Pioneers fell into sixth place in the highly contested league standings with four games remaining in the regular season.
Carroll, which remains in contention for a prestigious CCIW tournament berth, is scheduled to face first-place and No. 22-ranked Augustana (Feb. 11), second-place and No. 20-ranked North Park (Feb. 15), seventh-place Wheaton (Feb. 18) and eighth-place Elmhurst (Feb. 21) during the key final stretch.
The Pioneers were outscored 52-29 in what proved to be the decisive opening half, including a 23-7 run over the course of the final 10 minutes.
Senior guard Kyle Keranen (Hartland, Wis.) scored a team-high 20 points - highlighted by six 3-point baskets - to lead Carroll.
Sophomore point guard Ben Widdes (Rice Lake, Wis.) contributed eight points, four rebounds and three assists for the Pioneers, who made 11 3-pointers, 9 of 15 free throws and shot 38.6 percent from field-goal range. Sophomore forward Noah Greve (Rosendale, Wis.) and freshman guard/forward Charlie Soule (Oregon, Wis.) each added seven points.
Sophomore guard Colin Bonnett scored a game-high 22 points to lead Illinois Wesleyan, which improved to 6-5 in conference and 14-6 overall. Trevor Seibring chipped in 14 points and junior guard Brady Rose had 13 points for the Titans, who converted 14 3-pointers and shot 55.9 from the field.
The Titans honored their 1997 NCAA Division III national championship team at halftime.