WAUKESHA, Wis. – The Carroll University men's basketball team took down UW-River Falls on Saturday night at Just a Game Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells by a score of 61-46. Six Pioneers had at least eight points, while Kobe Simpson and Eckahelo Simpson combined for 17 of the team's 43 rebounds.
 
The Pioneers (3-7) played great basketball in the paint, scoring over half of their points down low. The Pio bench added 25 points, and Carroll forced 11 turnovers with four steals to give them 10 points off turnovers. In a game with eight lead changes, the Pios took over late in the first half and held their lead for 34 minutes. Carroll held River Falls to under 30% shooting, the lowest mark this season for the Pios.
 
The contest began with a quick bucket from Eckahelo's layup off the Paradiso Dante's won jump ball. The Pioneers and Falcons began trading baskets despite some missed shots from both teams. Ethan Balinao knocked down a three-pointer with 10 minutes to go to give Carroll a quick lead before the Falcons snatched it right back with their own three-pointer. With the game tied 17-17, Jacob Naber started a Pio run with a second-chance layup in the paint off his own offensive rebound. Carroll went on a 10-0 run that spanned five minutes, and ended the half up 10 after Tyler Miller's made free throw.
 
The Pioneers pushed their lead to 10 points thanks to free throws from Aaron Wafford early on in the second period. Carroll's lead grew to 13 but the run was quickly stopped by UW-RF's first made field goal in over 10 minutes, dating back to the end of the first half. The Falcons pulled the game to within six points multiple times, but four-straight points from Naber and a three-pointer from Baliano pushed Carroll's lead back to a larger gap. Balinao was found wide open in the paint with 8:36 to go, giving Carroll their double-digit lead back. Layups and free throws kept the Pioneers' lead high despite foul trouble from Dante and Naber. Dante closed out the game with six-straight points under three minutes left.
 
The Pioneers get another six-day break as they wait for next Saturday, December 17 to travel to Millikin to take on the Big Blue at 4:15 in Decatur.