WAUKESHA, Wis. - Sophomore forward Delaney Sjong (Salem, Wis.) contributed six of her team-high 12 points in the third quarter and finished with five rebounds as the Carroll University women's basketball team lost to Trinity International University 66-57 in a nonconference game at Van Male Field House on Wednesday evening.
It was the home opener for Carroll, which lost its second straight and dropped to 1-3 overall following the pre-Thanksgiving showdown.
The Pioneers were outscored 30-24 in the first half, including a key momentum-shifting 15-7 margin in the second quarter.
Carroll answered with a 16-8 run over the course of the opening eight minutes of the third quarter, claiming a 40-38 lead on an inside basket by Sjong with 2:20 remaining.
It was short lived as Trinity responded with a composed 7-0 run of its own to regain a 45-40 lead to close out the decisive stretch.
The Lady Trojans outscored Carroll 21-17 in the fourth quarter.
Freshman guard Alyssa Cruz (West Allis, Wis.) - who was plagued by nagging foul trouble throughout the night - followed with 10 points, four rebounds and an assist for Carroll, which converted five baskets from 3-point range, made only 12 of 28 free throws and shot 34.5 percent from field-goal range.
Freshman point guard Theresa Wichser (Waukesha, Wis.) chipped in nine points with three 3-pointers for the Pioneers, who committed 20 turnovers. Sophomore center Katie Rossetti (Wauconda, Ill.), freshman forward Kayla Stefka (Johnsburg, Ill.) and freshman center Celina Schwantes (Pewaukee, Wis.) each had six points.
Sophomore point guard Emily Majerus (Plymouth, Wis.) added five points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
For Carroll third-year head coach Lindsay Schultz, whose roster includes one senior and 16 underclassmen, its been a gradual progression for her young, talented team.
"Overall, this team is more talented than any we've had over the last three years but we're still in that phase of struggling to put it all together," said Schultz, who guided the Pioneers to a breakthrough eight-victory season in 2017-18. "It's one thing to know our philosophies and what we're trying to do out there but yet quite another thing to be able to play to one another's strengths and execute in an uptempo, physical collegiate game-time situation. At this point, we're really young and learning in so many different areas.
"Our goal remains to put together a complete-team effort and play hard for an entire 40 minutes. Being such a young group, we have a tendency not to sustain that type of intensity because of the learning and growth process. On both ends of the floor, we need to be more consistent and compete aggressively on each and every possession. When we began to come back in the third quarter, I thought maybe we were beginning to turn the corner but then struggled at times to come up with enough big stops defensively to maintain the momentum.
Unfortunately, when we had the opportunities to make the game close down the stretch, we couldn't take advantage and missed the free throws. That ended up being the difference tonight. It's an experience we will learn from as we move forward."
Carroll was outrebounded 38-35, including a 31-21 margin on the defensive glass.
Junior guard Krystal Walker battled through an injured ankle and finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals to lead Trinity, which improved to 4-3 overall. Senior guard Kylee Daniels had 17 points with five 3-pointers for the Lady Trojans, who made six 3-pointers, 12 of 16 free throws and shot 48 percent from the field.

PIONEER FAST FACTS
What: The Carroll University women's basketball team lost to Trinity International University 66-57 in a nonconference home opener at Van Male Field House on Wednesday evening.
Scoring Leaders: Delaney Sjong (12 points), Alyssa Cruz (10 points), Theresa Wichser (9 points), Katie Rossetti (6 points), Kayla Stefka (6 points), Celina Schwantes (6 points)
Notable: The Pioneers struggled from the free-throw line throughout the evening, converting just 12 of 28 in the contest.