WAUKESHA, Wis. – The Carroll University women's basketball team will play in its second-consecutive CCIW Women's Basketball Tournament Semi-finals on Friday, February 25, 2022. The Pioneers will face off with the no. 2 seeded Illinois Wesleyan University Titans at 5 PM. The remaining games in the CCIW tournament will be held on campus at no. 1 seed Millikin University.
The Pioneers (19-6) are on the verge of going to their first-ever CCIW Women's Basketball Tournament Championship Game. Carroll's 19 victories this year are the most since the 2007-2008 season. "We're really making a name for ourselves," says junior
Brooke Foster. "Coach Schultz has done so much for this program, each year gets better, more intense, more competitive, and more fun."
In-game one of two this season, The Pioneers fell 62-75 on the road for the first loss of the season. Carroll committed 30 turnovers, the most in a game this season and the most since 2018. Despite three scorers in double digits, led by
Elizabeth Behrndt's and
Katie Rohner's 12, six other Pios combined for just 27 points.
Carroll earned its first victory over Illinois Wesleyan at home in January, snapping a nine-game losing streak to the Titans. The Pioneers rocked the Titans 70-48 to hand them their first CCIW loss of the season, as Carroll pushed to its season-high seventh win in a row. Behrndt and
Olivia Rangel combined for 23 points on 11-21 shooting in the win, while the Pio bench scored 33. The Pioneers dropped 40 points in the paint, compared to just 18 from the Titans.
In the two games against IWU, Carroll averaged 37 PPG in the paint, led by Behrndt who averaged 12.5 points and 6 rebounds in the two competitions. Carroll holds a six-rebound advantage, and on average shot 6.4% better than Illinois Wesleyan. The Pios were outscored by the Titans 46-26 in the first quarter through both games, but Carroll responded in the second quarter, outscoring them 46-24. "We don't want to let them control what we do," says freshman
Chloe Halverson. "We just have to be us, and do what we do every night."
Live video and live statistics will be available for the contest at gopios.com/wbb. Admission for the event will be $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and children under 14, while students with current CCIW institutional IDs will have free admission.
"We're all so excited," says Foster. "Before each game we talk about how lucky we are. That is where our best work comes from." With a win on Friday, the Pioneers will advance to the tournament championship game, to face either no. 1 Millikin or no. 5 Wheaton at 5 PM on Saturday, February 25. A tournament championship provides an automatic qualification to the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament.
