ELMHURST, Ill. - Freshman guard Sierra Grubor (Milwaukee, Wis.) scored a season-high 31 points, highlighted by three baskets from 3-point range, 10 of 12 free throws, three rebounds and an assist as the Carroll University women's basketball team lost to Elmhurst College 71-62 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at R.A. Faganel Hall on Wednesday night.
It was the second consecutive conference road loss for Carroll, which dropped to 4-10 in the league standings and 9-14 overall.
Wheaton is currently in first place (13-1), followed by second-place Illinois Wesleyan (11-2), third-place Carthage (8-5) and fourth-place Augustana (6-8). Elmhurst and North Central are tied for fifth (5-8) in the race for the top six spots in the newly-expanded, upcoming CCIW Tournament.
Millikin and North Park are tied for sixth (4-9) followed by Carroll (4-10).
The contest was tied 48-48 after three quarters but the Pioneers were outscored 23-14 in what proved to be a decisive fourth quarter - including 10 unanswered points over a critical, two-minute stretch.
Carroll trimmed the deficit to eight points on a layup by Grubor with 37 seconds remaining but couldn't get any closer.
Freshman forward Kayla Stefka (Johnsburg, Ill.) followed with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot for Carroll, which converted four 3-pointers, 20 of 33 free throws and shot 43.2 percent from field-goal range.
Sophomore center Katie Rossetti (Wauconda, Ill.), who was plagued by foul trouble, contributed eight points and sophomore guard Emily Majerus (Plymouth, Wis.) had four points for the Pioneers, who outrebounded the Bluejays 34-29, generated 12 assists but committed 24 turnovers. Freshman center Celina Schwantes (Pewaukee, Wis.) added three points, a team-best 10 rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Sophomore guard Marissa Urso scored a team-high 13 points to lead Elmhurst, which improved to 5-8 in conference and 9-13 overall. Freshman forward Kween Jean had 12 points and seven rebounds for the Bluejays, who made nine 3-pointers, 14 of 23 free throws and shot 44.4 percent from the field.