WAUKESHA, Wis. -  Promising young teams often struggle to maintain their composure and execute under critical pressure-packed situations with the game on the line.
The Carroll University women's basketball team was reminded of that humbling fact as it lost a hard-fought overtime thriller to North Park University 75-70 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin showdown at Van Male Field House on Wednesday night.
It was the first home-court conference loss of the season for Carroll, which dropped to 1-2 in the league standings and 4-8 overall.
As the fierce contest remained tied 63-63 at the end of regulation, North Park outscored the Pioneers 12-7 during the five-minute overtime period - converting 5 of 6 free throws within the final 52 seconds to pull away.
Brittney Wald registered her second double-double of the season by contributing a career-high 31 points with three 3-point baskets, 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals to pace Carroll, which led 50-47 at the end of three quarters but struggled to sustain the momentum.
Wald, a 5-foot-6 senior guard from Antigo, Wis., scored 18 points in the second half - capped on a dramatic tension-filled game-tying 3-pointer from the right side of the perimeter with 26 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
North Park missed two free throws with 10 seconds left and Carroll came up short on a jumper at the buzzer to force the extra period.
"We just couldn't adjust at times and they continued to take advantage of the situation," said Wald, a second-team all-conference selection in the CCIW last year. "Even though we're young, its no excuse because we have plenty of experience under our belts and realize the importance of each conference game. We just need to buckle down, focus on the little things and work hard to eliminate the mistakes. Our defense had an opportunity to save us tonight but it just didn't happen.
"It was exciting to be able to take it into overtime and the experience should serve as a good learning tool for some of the younger players. It's always difficult to simulate the pressure situations in practice so we just need to stay patient, play fundamentally sound and be ready to execute next time."
Junior guard/forward Rachel Van Sluys (Sheboygan, Wis.) followed with 14 points, eight rebounds, six steals and two assists for the Pioneers, who made five 3-pointers, 11 of 22 free throws and shot 40.9 percent from field-goal range. Freshman forward Katie Rossetti (Wauconda, Ill.) chipped in seven points, a team-best 14 rebounds, four blocked shots, two assists and two steals.
Freshman small forward Delaney Sjong (Salem, Wis.) had six points with junior guard Sara Hartl (Racine, Wis.) adding five points.
Carroll, which forced 26 turnovers, outrebounded the Vikings by a 46-38 margin in the league battle, maintaining a 14-9 advantage on the offensive glass.
"North Park did a good job of hurrying us and forcing the bad decisions," Carroll second-year head coach Lindsay Schultz said. "Committing 32 turnovers is unacceptable and really the result of rushing, struggling to stay mentally sharp and not playing up to our potential. We want to play fast in transition but have to be able to settle down and make the reads once we're in our half-court offense. It's something we just didn't consistently accomplish tonight.
"I was disappointed with our transition defense and how they consistently were able to get to the rim down the stretch. It really hurt with the game on the line. There were also multiple possessions where our help-side defense broke down and it led to some big baskets. 
"We played with a really great tempo in the first half and managed to fight back, get into a flow and take it into overtime. When that happened, I really thought we would turn the corner but instead looked rushed and couldn't execute. It's a tough one so from a maturity standpoint we need to take it to heart and be ready to make some big strides forward in the games to come."
Junior guard Alicia Arnold scored a team-high 23 points for North Park, which improved to 3-0 in conference and 7-5 overall. Freshman guard Zakiya Newsome had nine points with senior forward Clarissa Ramos and junior guard Gabby Sandoval each adding eight points for the Vikings, who made four 3-pointers, 19 of 27 free throws and shot 40.6 percent from the field.

PIONEER FAST FACTS
What: The Carroll University women's basketball team lost a hard-fought overtime thriller to North Park University 75-70 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin showdown at Van Male Field House on Wednesday night.
Record: 4-8 overall
Scoring Leaders: Brittney Wald (31 points), Rachel Van Sluys (14 points), Katie Rossetti (7 points), Delaney Sjong (6 points), Sara Hartl (5 points), Anna Menges (4 points)
Rebound Leaders: Rossetti (14), Wald (10), Van Sluys (8), Menges (6), Sjong (3)
Notable: Tied 63-63 at the end of regulation, North Park outscored the Pioneers 12-7 in overtime - converting 5 of 6 free throws within the final minute to pull away