WAUKESHA, Wis. – The Carroll University men's basketball team suffered a 55-72 season-opening loss to Whitman College on day one of the 2022 Pioneer Tip-off Classic.
Kobe Simpson led the way with 11 points with 7-7 shooting from the free throw line.
Eckahelo Simpson pulled in a team-high six rebounds.
The Pioneers (0-1) started the game 3-6 from three but made just one of their next ten to finish with a 25% shooting percentage. The Pios got 31 points from their bench and scored 18 points off of 15 Whitman turnovers. Four of the Pioneers 18 made baskets tonight came from
Paradisio Dante, who scored nine off the bench.
Justin Steinike led the starters with eight.
In a slow start for both teams, Whitman didn't start to pull away until the 11-minute mark when they took a 10-point lead on a fast break transition bucket. From 11:23, Whitman scored 13 straight, holding Carroll to just seven points. Dante broke the Carroll scoring drought with a jump shot outside the paint. Carroll hung around the 15-point deficit the remainder of the half and went into the break down 17 after surrendering 42 points.
Steinike opened the half with a jumper inside the paint, which sparked an 11-4 run, that was fueled by five points from
Justin Gruber to cut the lead to ten. After Whitman called timeout, the Blues regrouped and pushed their lead back up to 20 with a couple of three-pointers. Freshman
Evan Bland came off the bench and was able to help get the deficit down to 13 with 1:26 remaining, but the Blues took advantage of fouls and open threes to hold on to a 17-point win.
Carroll will play the final game of the 2022 Pioneer Tip-off Classic tomorrow Saturday, November 12, with a matchup against the University of Dubuque.
