Box Score WAUKESHA, Wis. -  Blake Williams made quite a first impression. 
Williams, a 6-foot-6 freshman forward from Lone Tree, Colo., came off the bench and contributed a team-high 17 points with four baskets from 3-point range, 3 of 4 free throws, five assists, two rebounds and a steal in his first official collegiate game to lead the Carroll University men's basketball team to a 100-63 victory over Rockford University in a nonconference regular-season home opener at Van Male Athletic Complex on Saturday afternoon.
The impressive performance took on added significance as it marked the first time Carroll has generated 100 points in a victory since Feb. 6, 2016 (defeating Grinnell College 127-126 in a Midwest Conference home game).
Carroll outscored the Regents 48-35 in the first half, including a key, momentum-building 20-7 run over the course of the opening eight minutes.
The Pioneers showcased their depth and firepower with 11 players reaching the scoring column, highlighted by five in double figures.
Williams was a force during the critical first half, finishing with 12 points on three 3-pointers in 10 minutes - highlighted by a deep fall-away 3-pointer from the left side of the perimeter and free throw to convert an emotionally charged four-point play and extend the lead to 24-15 with 7:43 remaining.
"This was my first official college game and I had a lot of fun out there," said a smiling Williams, of the memorable day. "At first, I really didn't think too much about it and just tried to play my game. When the opportunities came my way, I didn't hesitate to make the most of them and let the shots fly. It was an amazing feeling to see the first one go down and something I will never forget. Everything just worked out for the best.
From beginning to end, I loved the way everyone hustled on the floor. The effort was great, the coaching was great and everyone bought into the game plan. Having played a few higher level opponents in the preseason, it really gave us a few clues as to what we needed to do in order to be successful. Today, our effort showed that we definitely learned from the experience and have the ability to fight hard and grind it out each step of the way. This should act as a good confidence booster and give us a lot of energy in the games to come."
Sophomore guard Justin Gruber (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) followed with 13 points on three 3-pointers, two assists and a steal in 12 minutes for the Pioneers, who made 15 3-pointers, 17 of 23 free throws and shot 57.6 percent from field-goal range.
It was a costly victory as Gruber suffered what appeared to be a serious injury on a breakaway layup attempt and was carried off the court with 7:58 remaining in the game.
Senior guard Troy Howat (Plainfield, Ill.) and junior forward Charlie Soule  (Oregon, Wis.) each chipped in 12 points for Carroll, which demonstrated its unselfishness by finishing with 20 assists. 
"Everyone played super hard and gave it their all each step of the way," said Soule, who provided a valuable spark by scoring five straight points during the key, early first-half scoring surge and finished with six rebounds. "The two exhibition games really helped and gave us an opportunity to learn from our mistakes. We were a little down but used it as motivation for the regular season opener. Following that experience, we had a full week of practice to prepare for Rockford and everything worked out in a big way.
"We shared the ball, maintained a good flow and pushed it down court when we needed to do it depending on the situation. As that happened, we were able to gradually build a lead, make the necessary adjustments on both ends and carry it over into the second half. Looking back, I had never been a part of a team that has scored 100 points so it was a special accomplishment. Throughout the day we showed our unselfishness and it was awesome to be a part of it."
Junior guard Nick Penny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) had 10 points with senior guard Ray Pierce (Milwaukee, Wis.), senior forward Tyler Ingebrigtsen (Elk Grove, Ill.) and senior guard Joey Archer (West Allis, Wis.) each adding eight points. 
The Pioneers outscored Rockford 52-28 in the second half.
Carroll sixth-year head coach Paul Combs praised his team's balanced, poised 40-minute effort in its regular season opener following two extremely challenging exhibition matchups versus high-powered NCAA Division I Marquette University and Bradley University.
"It was a complete team effort and our depth became the difference in the game," said Combs, also noting the tenacious effort displayed by his varsity reserve players in a game earlier in the day. "Throughout the day,  our focused, young players did a nice job of stepping up and setting the tone. When that happened, it all snowballed and came together in a big way. 
"Rockford had some very good, talented play makers so the ability to maintain strong team defense really played a role in our success. Our main goal was to contain them, force them into bad shots and we accomplished that. We just played with confidence, shared the ball very well, used the lessons learned in the two, tough exhibition games and came away with an important victory to begin the regular season. The guys just played some very inspirational basketball tonight."
Sophomore forward Kevin Diemer registered a double-double by with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two assists for Rockford, which made six 3-pointers, 9 of 12 free throws and shot 40 percent from the field. The game was stopped briefly in the second half as senior forward Tony Diemer was acknowledged for reaching the 500-rebound milestone.

PIONEER FAST FACTS
What: The Carroll University men's basketball team defeated Rockford University 100-63 in a regular-season home opener at Van Male Athletic Complex on Saturday afternoon.
Scoring Leaders: Blake Williams (17 points), Justin Gruber (13 points), Troy Howat (12 points), Charlie Soule (12 points), Nick Penny (10 points)
Notable: Carroll outscored the Regents 48-35 in the first half, including a key, momentum-building 20-7 run over the course of the opening eight minutes. The impressive performance took on added significance as it marked the first time the Pioneers have generated 100 points in a victory since Feb. 6, 2016 (defeating Grinnell College 127-126 in a Midwest Conference home game).