WHEATON, Ill. - Sophomore guard Ryan Clarey (Pewaukee, Wis.) scored a team-high 13 points with two baskets from 3-point range, six rebounds, two assists and a steal as the Carroll University men's basketball team lost to Wheaton College 79-61 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at King Arena on Saturday night.
It was the second consecutive loss for Carroll, which dropped to 1-5 in the conference standings and 5-10 overall.
Tied 26-26 late in the spirited first half, the Pioneers yielded 12 unanswered points over the course of the final six minutes.
It became the turning point in the game as Wheaton outscored Carroll 41-35 in the second half.
Senior forward Tyler Ingebrigtsen (Elk Grove, Ill.) followed with 12 points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal for Carroll, which converted five 3-pointers, 8 of 19 free throws and shot 40 percent from field-goal range. Junior guard Nick Penny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) and junior guard/forward Charlie Soule (Oregon, Wis.) each had eight points.
Sophomore guard Caleb Thomas (Monroe, La.) contributed five points with junior forward Kale Maupin (Peotone, Ill.) adding four points and five rebounds for the Pioneers, who scored 36 points in the paint.
Senior guard Aston Francis scored a game-high 28 points with six 3-pointers, three rebounds, three assists and two steals to lead Wheaton, which entered the contest hovering just out of the Top 25 but improved to 3-2 in conference and 10-4 overall. Sophomore guard Nyameye Adom had 12 points for the Thunder, who made 11 3-pointers, 16 of 26 free throws and shot 54.2 percent from the field.