WAUKESHA, Wis. - The young, scrappy Carroll University women's basketball team lost to league co-leader Wheaton College 76-59 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Van Male Field House on Wednesday night.
Freshman guard Sierra Grubor (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Alyssa Cruz (West Allis, Wis.) each scored a team-high 12 points to lead Carroll, which lost its sixth consecutive game to drop to 2-8 in the conference standings and 7-12 overall.
Grubor converted a 3-point basket, 3 of 4 free throws and finished with three rebounds, two assists and a steal against the tall, imposing Wheaton roster (which included three 6-foot-2 post players). Cruz also made a 3-pointer, contributed a team-best six assists and had three steals.
Cruz made a deep, buzzer-beating pull-up jump shot from the right, top portion of the perimeter to tie the game at the intermission.
Tied 30-30 at halfime, the Pioneers struggled to maintain the momentum and were outscored 19-9 in what proved to be a decisive third quarter - including a 13-4 run over the course of the opening seven minutes.
Sophomore center Katie Rossetti (Wauconda, Ill.) and freshman guard Theresa Wichser (Waukesha, Wis.) each followed with six points for the Pioneers, who made six baskets from 3-point range, 5 of 8 free throws and shot 38.7 percent from field-goal range. 
Wichser converted two 3-point baskets to bring her team-leading season total to 52, breaking the Carroll single-season program record of 51 originally set by former standout Angie Geiger in 1996-97.
Freshman forward Amanda Hooks (Mequon, Wis.), freshman center Celina Schwantes (Pewaukee, Wis.) and freshman guard Gabby Atkins (Southern Door, Wis.) each added five points for Carroll, which was outrebounded 49-24.
"We started out a little stagnant and fell behind early but battled back with a real grind-it-out mentality to finish out the first half," Carroll third-year head coach Lindsay Schultz, who was working with a determined, hungry nine-player roster. "When Wheaton went on a run to start the game, we could've easily given into the situation. Instead, we responded by playing with energy on both ends of the floor, fought hard on every possession and finished the first half on a strong note. Being a young team that has battled through a lot of adversity this season, it was awesome to see that resilience. I was very proud of the effort.
"With our youth and so many good pieces to work with on the floor, we are really making an effort to find the right combinations and play together as a team. At this point, we continue to compete well for either a half or three quarters but need to play our game for an entire 40 minutes. Whether its mental or physical fatigue, we need to battle through it, play hard and be fundamentally sound with the strength of the teams in this conference. It's a growth process and we will continue to learn from each experience as we move forward." 
Junior forward Hannah Frazier registered a double-double by finishing with a game-high 26 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot for Wheaton, which improved to 9-1 in conference and 15-4 overall. Sophomore guard Hannah Williams had 25 points for the Thunder, who made seven 3-pointers, 15 of 18 free throws and shot 43.5 percent from the field.
Wheaton, which entered the contest hovering just out of the Top 25, scored 36 points in the paint and generated 18 assists.

PIONEER FAST FACTS
What: The Carroll University women's basketball team lost to league co-leader Wheaton College 76-59 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Van Male Field House on Wednesday night.
Records: 2-8 in CCIW and 7-12 overall
Scoring Leaders: Sierra Grubor (12 points), Alyssa Cruz (12 points), Theresa Wichser (6 points), Katie Rossetti (6 points), Amanda Hooks (5 points), Celina Schwantes (5 points), Gabby Atkins (5 points)
Rebound Leaders: Schwantes (7), Rossetti (4), Grubor (3), Emily Majerus (3), Kayla Stefka (3)
Notable: Tied 30-30 at halfime, the Pioneers struggled to maintain the momentum and were outscored 19-9 in what proved to be a decisive third quarter - including a 13-4 run over the course of the opening seven minutes; Wichser converted two 3-point baskets to bring her team-leading season total to 52, establishing a new Carroll single-season program record.