WAUKESHA, Wis. - David Anilus' final collegiate game was one for the highlight reel.
Anilus, a versatile 6-foot senior guard from Miami, Fla., scored a career-high 18 points with 3 of 4 free throws and a 3-point basket, six rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in playing 29 minutes to lead the Carroll University men's basketball team to a 75-47 victory over Millikin University in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Van Male Field House on Saturday afternoon.
It was the season finale for Carroll, which ended the 2019-20 campaign 5-11 in the conference standings and 12-13 overall with the emotionally charged Senior Day performance (honoring Anilus, Charlie Soule, Kale Maupin, Nick Penny and Cal Jarrett).
The Pioneers outscored Millikin 42-24 in what proved to be a decisive first half, highlighted by an explosive 25-5 run over the course of the final seven minutes.
Carroll - which started four of its five seniors (except for injured standout guard Nick Penny) - never relinquished the lead, outscoring the Big Blue 33-23 during the final 20 minutes.
Anilus, who scored 11 points in the second half, finished on an energized one-handed slam dunk to extend the lead to 73-47 with 1:09 remaining and followed with two free throws to put an exclamation point on the dominant home-court victory and season.
"This was the best experience of my life," said a smiling Anilus, of his breakout career effort. "It was electric out  there and we were not only playing in front of our families but for a lot of new faces that have never seen us before so we wanted to show everyone what we were all about and give them something to remember. You could feel the energy from the start and every possession turned into a show. I just felt happy and blessed to be a part of it. Throughout the season, I've told the guys that I was saving a little something for them so when the opportunity finally came, it was exciting to be able to finish with the slam dunk. I was ecstatic to see it happen.
"The last four years have been a grind for me personally and for the team but we managed to get the job done and were very proud of how we played out there today. Looking back, it was great to be able to give thanks to our families and how they raised us. It was all reflected with our effort on the floor.
"Special thanks to our awesome coaching staff and how they continued to believe in us from beginning to end. Whether we were on top of the leader board or toward the bottom, they never lost confidence in what we were doing, showed great support and brought out our best both on and off the court. I could never thank them or my teammates enough for the experience."
Junior guards Ryan Clarey and Tarren Hall each contributed 14 points for Carroll, which converted 11 baskets from 3-point range, 8 of 13 free throws and shot 48.3 percent from field-goal range.
Hall was a force on the perimeter during the critical first-half scoring surge, connecting on four consecutive 3-point baskets - ignited on a long-range shot from the top, left portion of the perimeter to extend the lead to 32-17 with 4:09 left in the opening half.
Senior forward Charlie Soule had 12 points, sophomore guard/forward Blake Williams had seven points and senior forward Kale Maupin added four points.
The game was filled with many memorable moments for the outgoing seniors, including a wide-open, momentum-shifting 3-point basket in the first half by Jarrett along with standing ovations for Soule and Maupin as they walked off the court a final time down the stretch.
The most poignant, special moment came as Anilus made his final two free throws, walked to the edge of the court and was replaced  by Penny with 12.4 seconds remaining. The injured Penny, the team's leading scorer this season who finished his standout career with 990 points, slowly made his way onto the floor near mid-court, was delivered a quick pass with time winding down and threw the ball high into the air as time expired.
"From start to finish, we played a very complete game and our seniors delivered an outstanding performance," Carroll seventh-year coach Paul Combs said. "Nobody wanted to let the them down (referring to the coaching staff, teammates and the fans) so it was a collective effort by many people throughout the day. It was just an incredible moment to see Nick (Penny) walk on the floor one more time and watch his career celebrated in such a special way. With all of his contributions over the years and what he meant to the program, it was fitting to see him out on the court again. It's something I will remember forever.
"This group of seniors has laid the foundation for the program by being the first group to play four years since our return to the CCIW. They've shown what it takes to compete at this level and how it's done on the floor, in the classroom and as ambassadors in the community. They've truly done a tremendous job of representing Carroll in a first-class way and showing what Pioneer basketball is all about. I'm very proud to be associated with them."
The program paid tribute to the senior class with an emotional on-court pre-game presentation (with each player receiving a framed jersey) and a special family-oriented post-game video inspired by the late Kobe Bryant's 2017 Academy Award winning  short-film "Dear, Basketball" was shown to conclude the memorable Senior Day festivities.
Junior guard Troy Burrows scored a game-high 20 points for Millikin, which finished the season 1-15 in conference and 4-21 overall. Senior guard Zach Fisher had six points for the Big Blue, who made three 3-pointers, 14 of 23 free throws and shot 32.6 percent from the field.
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).