Waukesha, Wis. – The Carroll University women's basketball team became the first program to win a CCIW Conference Tournament game since re-joining the league, with a win over the number five seeded Augustana Vikings by a score of 67-61. The Pioneers advance to the Semi-finals on Saturday to take on No. 1 Millikin Big Blue.
Katie Rohner finished with a game-high 17 points and team-high eight rebounds.
Theresa Wichser got hot late and knocked down 5-8 three-pointers to give her 15 points.
"I cannot be more proud of this group of young women." Said, coach
Lindsay Schultz on the program winning its first-ever CCIW conference tournament game. "At the beginning of the year, this group committed to playing for one another and as a result, they showed great chemistry and resilience as they battled adversity throughout the season. They never wavered their commitment to one another and to this program. I am so happy that they were able to make their mark in Carroll Women's Basketball history."
The Pioneers (7-5, 6-5 CCIW) finished the game shooting 42.9% from behind the arc, and a crucial 7-10 at the free-throw line.
Brooke Foster stepped up big at the line tonight, with four of her 14 points coming from the line. The Pioneers collected 10 steals, with
Elizabeth Behrndt and
Katie Evans both grabbing three. 19 points were scored off of 14 Augie turnovers. The women regrouped at halftime after being outrebounded 10-24, by coming back and finishing with 22 second-half rebounds.
A tightly contested game the entire night, the lead was changed 11 times and tied nine. Augie led by five with 4:09 remaining in the first quarter when
Allison Thompson (6 PTS, 2 AST) nailed a jump shot in the paint, followed by an Evans three off a turnover to tie the score at 14 all. Rohner and Evans both had five points after one quarter. Foster hit a three-point jump shot from a Behrndt assist, to tie the game at 26 with 4:32 left in the second quarter. The Vikings ended the first half on an 8-2 run, shooting 40.6% from the floor. The Pioneers were only able to shoot 3-16 from behind the arc in the first half.
The Pios came out of the locker room after only surrendering one first-half turnover by committing three within the first three minutes, giving Augie a 10-point advantage. Wichser came alive, cashing in on three-straight three-point shots to cut the Augustana lead to one. Foster gave the Pios the lead with a layup in the paint with 3:19 left in the quarter. Augie grabbed a two-point lead to end the quarter. Back-to-back three-pointers from Wichser and Foster in addition to an Evans steal and fast-break layup gave the women the lead back with 6:53. With the game tied with just over four minutes to play, Rohner scored the next six Pioneer points to lead by four. Evans grabbed an offensive rebound and laid in a shot with 53 seconds remaining to keep a five-point Carroll lead. Augie's foul game technique nearly worked after hitting a three-pointer at the other end to cut the lead to three with 28 remaining, but Rohner finished the game with three more free-throws. The Pios got two stops in 12 seconds to bring home the victory.
The Pioneers will now play the No. 1 seeded Millikin Big Blue on Saturday at 2 PM in Decatur, Ill. The Pioneers have not faced the Big Blue this season, but have won six of the last eight against Millikin.
