WAUKESHA, Wis. – The Carroll University men's basketball team celebrated the careers of Gio Carrillo and Trenton Nickel against North Park on the final day of the 2021-22 regular season on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers fell to the Vikings 64-77. Justin Steinike finished with a team-high 13 points, while Nickel scored 12 in his final collegiate appearance.
 
The Pioneers (7-18, 3-13 CCIW) finish the season 8^th in the CCIW. Carroll forced 13 turnovers from the Vikings with five steals but was only able to turn six points out of the errors. Carroll shot 39% from the floor and knocked down 7-28 threes. Foul trouble for the Pios gave North Park 23 opportunities at the free-throw line. Carroll shared the ball well, turning in 14 assists, with three Pios tying for a team-high three.
 
The Pios and the Vikings started the game tied up at 4-4, followed soon after by each team trading buckets as the score shifted back and forth. Steinike pulled up from behind the three-point line and cashed in for his second basket of the night to give Carroll a two-point lead. After tying the game, North Park went on a 15-4 run over five minutes of game action. Steinike made four straight free throws and knocked in another three-pointer to cut the Viking lead to four with under five to play in the first half. Steinike pulled the game to within one from a free throw, but North Park advanced their lead to five. Nickel scored his first basket of the night with four seconds remaining to go into the half down two.
 
North Park came out of the break trying to extend their lead, but the Pioneers responded with every attempt. At the 16:33 mark, North Park jumped on a 16-3 run, with Carroll's only basket coming from a Ryan Mendoza three. North Park's run was interrupted by a Nickel three-pointer, but the Vikings pushed their lead to 21 with 6:41 remaining in the game. Carroll fought to work the deficit down to as little as 13 points as the final buzzer rang to end the season.