WAUKESHA, Wis. - Senior guard/forward Tanner Zaeske (South Milwaukee, Wis.) contributed a team-high 15 points with three 3-point baskets, eight rebounds, an assist and a steal to help lead the Carroll University men's basketball team to a 71-66 victory over Wheaton College in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin season finale at Van Male Field House on Tuesday night.
It was the third consecutive victory for Carroll, which ended the season by winning seven of its last eight games to finish 8-8 in conference and 12-13 overall.
The Pioneers finished tied for fifth in the highly contested league standings - responding to the adversity of losing their first six conference games by winning 8 of 10 since Jan. 17 (including victories over CCIW Tournament qualifiers Augustana, Wheaton and North Central  along with two close losses to nationally-ranked CCIW champion Illinois Wesleyan). 
The Pioneers trailed 40-35 at intermission but outscored Wheaton 36-26 in the second half - including a 20-8 run over the course of the final 10 minutes.
Zaeske, who was playing his final collegiate game along with senior guard/forward Joel Heesch (Mauston, Wis.) and senior guard Michael Keane (Northbrook, Ill.) ignited the second-half comeback by converting a pressure-packed 3-pointer from the left baseline to trim the deficit to 64-63 with 5:01 remaining.
"It was a great feeling to be able to come away with one more victory," said Zaeske, who closed out his standout career by fittingly scoring the team's final two points on back-to-back free throws with 14 seconds left. "Not every team gets the chance to finish with a win so it was nice to be able to step up to the challenge, comeback in the second half and get the job done. Even though the season didn't start off as we had wanted by losing the first six conference games, we gradually started to play up to our potential and went on a big run to finish on a high note. After the slow start, we had nothing to play for but showed that we could work through the adversity and make the most of the situation.
"Personally, it's hard to put into words what it was like to compete with this team over the last few years. It's always been about family and supporting one another each step of the way. With the game on the line tonight, everyone kept encouraging me to shoot from the perimeter. That's when I stepped up, took a deep breath and managed to hit a big shot down the stretch. As a senior, it was an honor to be given that opportunity and meant a lot to see everything come together. It was a great way to go out."
Senior guard/forward Joel Heesch (Mauston, Wis.) had 14 points, a team-best nine assists and four rebounds for the Pioneers, who converted  six 3-point baskets, 15 of  17 free throws and shot 41 percent from field-goal range. 
Junior forward Tyler Ingebrigtsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) followed with 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and two steals.
Ingebrigtsen was a force in the second half comeback, scoring 10 points and collecting two assists to power the scoring surge - including a key assist to help claim a 65-64 lead with 3:52 left.
On the momentum-shifting basket, Ingebrigtsen fought hard to gain control of the ball in traffic at midcourt, made the steal and quickly fired an outlet pass to wide-open junior guard Troy Howat (Plainfield, Ill.) for the layup.
It proved to be the backbreaker as Carroll went on a 6-2 run over the final two minutes to put the game out of reach.
Howat had seven points with sophomore guard Nick Penny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) and sophomore guard/forward Charlie Soule (Oregon, Wis.) each adding five points.
"It was a fitting way to end the season," said Carroll fifth-year head coach Paul Combs, whose team finished with a .500 record for the second straight year in the highly competitive CCIW. "Looking back, this game was really the culmination of the last six weeks and how we did it. Multiple people stepped up, made steady contributions and worked hard to get the job done. We approached each challenge with a positive attitude, continued to battle and developed the identity of being a grind-it-out team. Tonight, we just put the pedal to the metal, stayed fundamentally sound at both ends and that's when good things happened. This one was for our three seniors so it was great to see them go out on top."
Junior guard Aston Francis scored a game-high 27 points with seven 3-pointers, seven assists, four rebounds and a steal for Wheaton, which dropped to 10-6 in conference and 17-8 overall. Junior guard Luke Peters had 11 points for the Thunder, who made eight 3-pointers, 8 of 19 free throws and shot 43.9 percent from the field.

PIONEER FAST FACTS
What: The Carroll University men's basketball team defeated Wheaton College 71-66 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin season finale at Van Male Field House on Tuesday night.
Record: 8-8 in conference and 12-13 overall
Scoring Leaders: Tanner Zaeske (15 points), Joel Heesch (14 points), Tyler Ingebrigtsen (14 points), Troy Howat (7 points), Kale Maupin (6 points), Nick Penny (5 points), Charlie Soule (5 points)
Rebound Leaders: Zaeske (8), Ingebrigtsen (8), Heesch (4), Howat (2), Penny (2), Maupin (2), Ray Pierce (2)
Notable: The Pioneers, who finished the season by winning seven of their last eight conference games, trailed 40-35 at intermission but outscored Wheaton 36-26 in the second half - including a 20-8 run over the course of the final 10 minutes.