WAUKESHA, Wis. - Senior guard Troy Howat (Plainfield, Ill.) and senior forward Tyler Ingebrigtsen (Elk Grove, Ill.) each scored a team-high 11 points as the Carroll University men's basketball team lost to high-powered No. 2-ranked Augustana College 68-56 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Van Male Field House on Saturday afternoon.
It was the fourth home-court conference loss for Carroll, which dropped to 3-8 in the league standings and 7-13 overall following the emotional battle in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd.
Howat, who finished with three 3-point baskets, converted a long, NBA-range shot to tie the game 24-24 with 4:20 remaining but the Pioneers yielded a momentum-shifting 10-4 run over the course of the final four minutes of the first half.
It was a key turning point as Carroll was outscored 34-28 during the final 20 minutes.
The Pioneers trimmed the deficit to four points twice in the spirited second half but couldn't get any closer.
"Augustana came out and showed why its the No. 2-ranked team in the nation," said Carroll sixth-year head coach Paul Combs, whose team led 21-19 with 10:01 left in the first half. "They are senior-dominated, have good guard play and demonstrated the ability to consistently make the high-pressure shots during key situations. When we would go on a run, they didn't get rattled, maintained their composure and competed aggressively on every possession (both offensively and defensively). It was a hard-fought game but they just made a few more plays down the stretch than we did to pull away with the victory."
Junior guard/forward Charlie Soule (Oregon, Wis.) contributed nine points and junior forward Kale Maupin (Peotone, Ill.) followed with seven points for Carroll, which converted six 3-pointers, 8 of 11 free throws and shot 41.2 percent from field-goal range. Junior guard Nick Penny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) and freshman forward Blake Williams (Lone Tree, Colo.) each had five points.
"It was certainly a game of runs and we attempted to stay fresh by using our rotations at the right times to keep the guys engaged with the energy and flow of the game," Combs added. "When it came right down to it, we tried to ride the hot hand but just didn't win enough of the 50-50 balls to get over the hump and take advantage of the situation.
"We aren't big into moral victories but I thought we competed hard, showcased a lot of our good, younger players who will be wearing the orange and blue in the years to come and gave a nice effort against one of the top teams in the country. It was just another tough CCIW game the entire way."
Junior forward Pierson Wofford had a game-high 26 points with two 3-pointers, nine rebounds, three steals, two asists and a blocked shot for Augustana, which improved to 10-0 in conference and 18-1 overall. Senior guard Chrishawn Orange, junior guard Lucas Simon and junior guard Austin Elledge each added eight points for the Vikings, who made seven 3-pointers, 11 of 16 free throws and shot 53.2 percent from the field.

PIONEER FAST FACTS
What: The Carroll University men's basketball team lost to No. 2-ranked Augustana College 68-56 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Van Male Field House on Saturday afternoon.
Records: 3-8 in the CCIW and 7-13 overall
Scoring Leaders: Troy Howat (11 points), Tyler Ingebrigtsen (11 points), Charlie Soule (9 points), Kale Maupin (7 points), Nick Penny (5 points), Blake Williams (5 points)
Rebound Leaders: Ryan Clarey (5), Maupin (4), Anthony Marlowe (4), Penny (3)
Notable: The game was tied 24-24 but the Pioneers were outscored 10-4 over the course of the final four minutes of the first half.