WAUKESHA, Wis. - Ryan Clarey came alive at crunch time.
Clarey, a 6-foot sophomore point guard from Pewaukee, Wis., scored 10 of his 12 total points in the second half, including 5 of 6 free throws, as the Carroll University men's basketball team defeated third-place Wheaton College 77-70 in an emotional, hard-fought College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Van Male Field House on Thursday night.
The contest was originally scheduled to be played on Wednesday night but was postponed as the result of the extreme cold and rescheduled for Thursday.
It was a crucial home-court conference victory for Carroll, which won on Ted H. Baker Court for the fourth time this season to improve to 4-8 in the highly contested league standings and 8-13 overall.
The inspired, high-energy victory took on added significance as it kept the gritty, determined Pioneers in contention for a berth in the upcoming, newly expanded six-team CCIW Tournament.
The field is led by No. 1-ranked Augustana (11-1), second-place North Central (10-2), third-place Wheaton (8-4), fourth-place Elmhurst (6-5) and fifth-place Illinois Wesleyan (5-6). Carroll and Millikin are tied for the sixth spot.
Tied 32-32 at the intermission, Carroll responded to the pressure-packed challenge by outscoring the Thunder 48-35 in the second half - including a key, momentum-shifting 10-2 run over the course of the opening 10 minutes.
Clarey was an aggressive force over the course of the final 20 minutes, also finishing with a team-best six assists, five rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot.
"It was one of those games where we went blow for blow with them on each possession and did our best to weather the storm," said Clarey, who ignited the crucial second-half run by converting a 3-point basket from the left, top portion of the perimeter to extend the lead to 51-48 with 13:21 remaining and later made 3 of 4 free pressure-packed free throws within the final 40.1 seconds to seal the victory. "Eventually, we were able to come through with the key defensive stops and took advantage of the situation by finishing on the offensive end. With it being a close game, I just tried to bring some energy to the floor, run the team and help finish the job. It was nice to be able to hit some shots in the second half and reassuring to step up in the final seconds and make the free throws to put the game out of reach.
"Looking back, it was a huge victory that will only help our confidence heading forward. We always play our best basketball toward the end of the season so we plan to take it up a notch with four games left. It was just a great effort from beginning to end and everyone contributed to make it happen." 
The Pioneers showcased their depth and balance with nine players reaching the scoring column, including three in double figures.
Senior guard Troy Howat (Plainfield, Ill.) contributed a team-high 13 points with four baskets from 3-point range and had two assists for the Pioneers, who converted five 3-pointers, 16 of 22 free throws and shot 47.5 percent from field-goal range.
Howat caught fire early in the contest, scoring 10 points in the opening four minutes - including three 3-pointers to power a 14-4 run.
Junior guard/forward Charlie Soule (Oregon, Wis.) followed with 12 points, five rebounds and an assist. Junior forward Kale Maupin (Peotone, Ill.) chipped in nine points, five rebounds and two assists for Carroll, which showcased its unselfishness by generating 19 assists and outrebounded the Thunder 35-30 -highlighted by a 13-8 advantage on the offensive glass.
Maupin's presence in the post became a factor down the stretch as he finished on several critical baskets to maintain the momentum - highlighted by a layup to extend the lead to 74-70 with 53.2 seconds remaining.
On the game-changing play that sparked a final, decisive 5-0 run, Carroll showcased its maturity, composure and on-court awareness by patiently running its offense and working the ball around the perimeter for the open look - with Clarey eventually making a quick pass into Maupin with seven seconds left on the shot clock.
Maupin abruptly took possession in the paint, used a strong reverse-pivot move to work past a defender and converted the basket.
"It was a great team win," said Maupin, who had all nine of his points in the second half. "We got off to a hot start in the first half but then they came back to tie the game at halftime and eventually took the lead in the second half. At that point, we started to rally around Ryan and then began to set good ball screens. As that happened, it led to the scoring spree, allowed us to build some momentum and we carried it through to the end of the game. Defensively, they didn't have much help inside so we went to work on it and made the most of the situation. We didn't feel any pressure and just attempted to play our game. With it being late in the season, we're just focused on each individual game and playing our best in order to move up in the standings.
"It was just great to be able to come back, get a victory on our home court and stay right in the thick of the CCIW Tournament race."
Senior forward Anthony Marlowe (South Milwaukee, Wis.) and sophomore guard Tarren Hall (New Lisbon, Wis.) each had eight points. Senior forward Tyler Ingebrigtsen (Elk Grove, Ill.) had seven points with junior guard Nick Penny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) adding six points.
"We built a good lead in the first half and Wheaton showed why it is one of the top teams in the league by the way they fought back," Carroll sixth-year head coach Paul Combs said. "Throughout the night, we were consistent, stayed connected on both ends of the floor, played within ourselves and stuck to the system. In big game-situations, rebounding the ball and hitting free throws become big keys and tonight we excelled in both of those areas.
"I'm just really proud of our guys and the way they have continued to battle even though we've lost some tough, close games this year. Despite all of the adversity along with the weather and postponement, they fought through it, came through with a well-deserved victory and represented Carroll University in the best possible way. I'm very happy for the team but especially for our seniors. It was a great, hard-fought win that put us right back in the thick of the CCIW Tournament race so we're looking forward to the challenges ahead of us."
High-octane senior guard Aston Francis, who entered the showdown averaging 32.4 points per game, had a game-high 25 points with six 3-pointers, five rebounds, one assist and a blocked shot for Wheaton, which dropped to 16-6 overall. Senior guard Luke Peters had 20 points for the Thunder, who made six 3-pointers, 14 of 22 free throws and shot 50 percent from the field.

PIONEER FAST FACTS
What: The Carroll University men's basketball team defeated third-place Wheaton College 77-70 in an emotional, hard-fought College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Van Male Field House on Thursday night.
Records: 4-8 in CCIW and 8-13 overall
Scoring Leaders: Troy Howat (13 points), Ryan Clarey (12 points), Charlie Soule (12 points), Kale Maupin (9 points), Anthony Marlowe (8 points), Tarren Hall (8 points), Tyler Ingebrigtsen (7 points), Nick Penny (6 points)
Rebound Leaders: Clarey (5), Soule (5), Maupin (5), Penny (5), T. Ingebrigtsen (4)
Notable: Tied 32-32 at the intermission, Carroll responded to the pressure-packed challenge by outscoring the Thunder 48-35 in the second half - including a key, momentum-shifting 10-2 run over the course of the opening 10 minutes.