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Carroll University Athletics

Scoreboard

Scoreboard

Kylie Bridenhagen
82
Winner Elmhurst ELMHURST 11-1,2-1 CCIW
81
Carroll CARROLL 9-4,2-2 CCIW
Winner
Elmhurst ELMHURST
11-1,2-1 CCIW
82
Final
81
Carroll CARROLL
9-4,2-2 CCIW
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 OT 2 F
Elmhurst ELMHURST 27 34 8 13 82
Carroll CARROLL 29 32 8 12 81

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | By Jeff Hagenau

Pios suffer crushing double-overtime loss to No. 16 Elmhurst

Carroll falls 82-81 on last-second shot in home-court CCIW showdown to begin new year

WAUKESHA, Wis. - As the stunned Carroll University men's basketball team slowly walked off of Ted H. Baker Court, it could only look at the scoreboard and wonder what might have been.
Carroll lost to No. 16-ranked Elmhurst College 82-81 in double overtime to conclude a hard-fought, tension-filled College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Van Male Field House on Saturday afternoon.
It was the second overtime loss to a nationally ranked conference opponent this season for Carroll, which dropped to 2-2 in the highly contested league standings and 9-4 overall following the emotional Alumni Day performance.
Three of the Pioneers' four losses have come at the hands of nationally-ranked Top 25 programs.
Carroll led 81-79 with 5.3 seconds remaining in the second five-minute overtime but couldn't capitalize on the double-bonus situation, missed a critical second free throw and fell victim to a high-arcing buzzer-beating 40-foot 3-point basket by Elmhurst 6-foot-3 senior forward Derek Dotlich.
On the gut-wrenching game-winning sequence, Elmhurst senior forward/center Lavon Thomas gained control of the rebound following the missed free throw, frantically fired an outlet pass toward the right side to a sprinting Dotlich, who took possession across the half-court line, leaped above two defenders and launched the dramatic winning shot as time expired.
The fast-paced, grind-it-out battle included 23 lead changes and 12 ties.
Carroll, which led by two points at the intermission following an inspired first-half effort, built a 42-37 lead with 12:12 remaining on a 3-point basket from sophomore guard/forward Blake Williams and two free throws by junior point guard Ryan Clarey but it quickly vanished as Elmhurst responded with six unanswered points over a three-minute stretch.
Carroll senior forward Kale Maupin answered with two crucial baskets within the final four minutes, highlighted by an aggressive baseline jumper to reclaim a 60-58 lead with 2:52 left.
Elmhurst answered with three free throws to take a 61-60 lead with 1:55 remaining. Carroll showcased its resilience as senior forward Charlie Soule fought through the fatigue and made the first of two free throws to tie the contest 61-61 with 1:30 left to ultimately force overtime.
Both teams scored eight points in the first five-minute extra period, concluded as Soule delivered a pressure-packed putback with 6.5 seconds left to tie the contest 69-69 and force the second overtime.
Junior guard Tarren Hall contributed nine points in the second OT, including two clutch 3-pointers, a fastbreak jumper in the paint and a free throw - converting on a key long-range shot from the right baseline as Carroll took a 80-77 lead with 15.8 seconds left.
"Looking back from a fan's standpoint, it must have been an amazing game to watch but it was really tough to come out on our side of things," said Hall, who made the first of two free throws with 5.3 seconds remaining to set the stage for the dramatic finish. "Nick (Penny) had fouled out earlier so we all knew that we had to step up to the challenge and score on every possession. We were all tired but wanted to win and fought through it. The coaches kept telling me to be aggressive on my shots so when the first one went through it helped my confidence and I just tried to make the most of each opportunity.
"Every single game is special and it all came down to stepping up and making plays when your name was called down the stretch. Dotlich is a good player who made a great shot at the end to win it. It doesn't matter if you win by 30 points or lose by one at the buzzer, there are positive and negatives to every game. We just have to learn from the experience and build off of it."
Dotlich scored a game-high 26 points with seven 3-pointers, 5 of 5 free throws, four rebounds and two assists for Elmhurst, which improved to 2-1 in conference and 11-1 overall. Junior guard Jake Rhode, a preseason All-American selection, chipped in 21 points and Thomas finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, four blocked shots and a steal for the Bluejays, who made 11 3-pointers, 15 of 20 free throws and shot 45.9 percent from field-goal range.
Clarey contributed a team-high 20 points with 5 of 6 free throws, five assists, four rebounds and two steals to lead Carroll, which made six 3-pointers, 15 of 21 free throws and shot 42.9 percent from the field. Soule followed with 18 points with 7 of 9 free throws, nine rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Williams registered a double-double by finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and an assist for the Pioneers, who scored 32 points in the paint, forced 23 turnovers and generated 16 assists. Hall and senior guard Nick Penny each had 11 total points with Maupin adding seven points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal.
"It was a great CCIW game and gutty performance between two teams that didn't want to lose," said Carroll seventh-year head coach Paul Combs, about his team's tenacious, emotional 50-minute effort (noting that his squad had three players contribute 45 minutes or more). "Both sides had their opportunities but at the end of the day you have to tip your hat to them and the way they made the big 40-foot shot at the end to beat us.
"This one hurts because we really played well enough in overtime, especially defensively, to win it. We had so many different guys step up and make plays so it was just unfortunate to see it end that way. In the locker room, I told the guys that I don't think I've ever been more proud of a team, regardless of what it said on the scoreboard. We always come ready to play hard everytime and represented Carroll in the best possible way today. It was big-boy basketball and a heck of a game. Tomorrow is a new day, we're a proud program and we'll do our best to bounce back from it."
Stay up to date on Carroll men's basketball this season by going online to www.gopios.com, or by following the Pioneers on Facebook (Carroll University Athletics), Twitter (@pio_athletics), and Instagram (@pio_athletics).
 
PIONEER FAST FACTS
What: The Carroll University men's basketball team lost to No. 16-ranked Elmhurst College 82-81 in double overtime in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Van Male Field House on Saturday afternoon.
Records: 2-2 in conference and 9-4 overall
Scoring Leaders: Ryan Clarey (20 points), Charlie Soule (18 points), Blake Williams (12 points), Tarren Hall (11 points), Nick Penny (11 points), Kale Maupin (7 points)
Rebound Leaders: Williams (10), Soule (9), Maupin (6), Clarey (4), Hall (3)
Notable: The Pioneers led 81-79 with 5.3 seconds remaining in the second five-minute overtime but couldn't capitalize on the double-bonus situation, missed a critical second free throw and fell victim to a high-arcing buzzer-beating 40-foot 3-point basket by Elmhurst 6-foot-3 senior forward Derek Dotlich.
 
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