WAUKESHA, Wis. - Senior guard Troy Howat (Plainfield, Ill.) scored a team-high 20 points with five baskets from 3-point range, 3 of 3 free throws, five rebounds and an assist to lead the high-powered Carroll University men's basketball team to a 60-57 victory over fierce, in-state rival Carthage College in a hard-fought College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Van Male Field House on Wednesday night.
It was the third consecutive conference victory for Carroll, which improved to 6-8 in the highly contested league standings and 10-13 overall.
The statement-making home-court performance took on added significance as it avenged a 79-66 road loss to Carthage from Jan. 9 and kept the red-hot Pioneers in the thick of the race for a prestigious CCIW Tournament berth with two league games remaining (Elmhurst on Feb. 13 and Illinois Wesleyan on Feb. 16).
Augustana (13-1) currently remains atop the standings followed by second-place North Central (10-3) and third-place Wheaton (9-5) in the battle for the top six spots in the newly expanded conference tournament. Illinois Wesleyan and Elmhurst remain tied for fourth (7-6), Carroll is fifth (6-8) and Millikin is sixth (4-9).
Carroll, which has won four of its last five, outscored the Red Men 31-21 in the momentum-building first half, including an explosive 16-3 run over a critical nine-minute stretch.
Howat ignited the key scoring surge by making two 3-pointers, highlighted by a long-range shot from the right side of the perimeter to take a 17-14 lead with 10:03 remaining in the half.
It became a critical turning point in the game as the Pioneers carried the momentum over into the second half by starting with a 16-7 run during the first six minutes to increase the margin to 47-28 with 14:33 left.
"Right now we're playing with a whole lot of confidence and its become contagious," said a smiling Howat, who powered the early second-half stretch with 12 points - including three 3-pointers and three free throws. "We believe in one another and continue to have a lot of fun every time we step on the court. Over the course of the last three games, we've gotten really hot so we hope to keep it going.
"Having played a tough schedule with a lot of big games this season, we're really not feeling a lot of pressure and just trying to play up to our potential each time. At this point, I don't think we've played a full 40 minutes as of yet so it's exciting to think about how far we've come and the possibilities as we move forward. There's still room for improvement so that's what we're striving for in the games to come."
Howat was quick to point out that the team's success was fueled by its tenacious defensive effort in the first half.
"We put a lot of emphasis on our defense tonight, attempted to put a lot of pressure on the ball and it set the tone in the first half," Howat added. "To only allow 21 points over the course of the opening 20 minutes was special and played a big role in the victory. Every conference game is big so to be able to get a victory at home in front of all of the fans who have shown their support through the good times and bad times this season only added to the moment. Since the beginning of the year, the goal has been to make the top six and advance to the conference tournament so we're motivated to make it happen."
Sophomore guard Ryan Clarey (Pewaukee, Wis.) contributed 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals for the Pioneers, who converted nine 3-pointers, 7 of 11 free throws and shot 45.8 percent from field-goal range. Junior guard Nick Penny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) followed with seven points with two 3-pointers, two rebounds and two assists.
Junior forward Kale Maupin (Peotone, Ill.) and freshman forward Blake Williams (Lone Tree, Colo.) each added six points for Carroll, which generated 14 assists and outrebounded the Red Men by a 34-31 margin - including a 28-23 advantage on the defensive glass.
Carthage, which outscored the Pioneers 36-29 in the second half, trimmed the deficit to three points three times in the second half but couldn't complete the comeback. 
Clinging to a four-point lead in the final minutes, Carroll responded to the pressure-packed situation as Williams made a high-arcing 3-pointer from the left baseline to extend the lead to 57-50 with 1:14 remaining.
Carroll sixth-year head coach Paul Combs was proud of how his team continued to play with a heightened sense of urgency, responded to the big-game pressure and took another strong step toward a CCIW Tournament berth.
"Everyone is talking about the CCIW Tournament but frankly our conference tournament started about four weeks ago," said Combs, of his team's resurgence. "In our minds, the only thing we can really control is what we do so we've taken the mindset that its a one-game season and have focused on playing our best each time. Having been 1-6 at one point, it all comes down to how we have performed over the last few weeks and the players deserve all the credit in how they have handled the situation by competing with confidence. Their ongoing commitment to the system and to one another has made the difference.
"Tonight, we had a double-digit lead in the second half but being the CCIW had to continue to battle down the stretch. Our depth played a significant role (noting nine players contributing double-digit minutes) and resulted in a good, balanced attack. Carthage is a good, well-coached team that came back and didn't go down without a fight. It was just another hard-fought CCIW game and we feel very fortunate to come away with the victory."
Junior forward Kienan Baltimore scored a team-high 20 points with two 3-pointers, five rebounds, three steals and two assists for Carthage, which dropped to 2-11  in conference and 7-15 overall. Junior guard Jordon Kedrowski had 16 points with four 3-pointers four assists and three rebounds for the Red Men, who made seven 3-pointers, 6 of 8 free throws and shot 38.6 percent from the field.

PIONEER FAST FACTS
What: The Carroll University men's basketball team defeated fierce, in-state rival Carthage College 60-57 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Van Male Field House on Wednesday night.
Current Records: 6-8 in CCIW and 10-13 overall
Scoring Leaders: Troy Howat (20 points), Ryan Clarey (10 points), Nick Penny (7 points), Kale Maupin (6 points), Blake Williams (6 points), Tyler Ingebrigtsen (4 points), Charlie Soule (4 points)
Rebound Leaders: Anthony Marlowe (7), Maupin (6), Howat (5), Clarey (3), Soule (3)
Notable: The Pioneers outscored Carthage 31-21 in the momentum-shifting first half - including an explosive 16-3 run over a critical nine-minute stretch; The statement-making home-court performance took on added significance as it avenged a road loss to Carthage from earlier this season and kept the red-hot Pioneers in the thick of the race for a prestigious CCIW Tournament berth with two league games remaining.