Richmond, Ind. – The Carroll University men's basketball team closed out the Melissa Johnson Hope Classic Tournament at 2-0 taking down the University of Olivet 83-70. Carroll shot just 42.2% from the field on the day and got 12 three-pointers to fall throughout that game. Carroll was able to get 17-25 free throws to drop on the day. Junior Aaron Wafford was the leading scorer for the Pioneers dropping 18, including four three-pointers.

The Pioneers (3-0, 0-0 CCIW) struggled out of the gates, but were able to weather the storm and get back into the game. This came from the Pioneers forcing 13 turnovers, grabbing 39 rebounds, gathering three steals, and 16 assists on the night. Kobe Simpson had a good performance returning from an injury, scoring 14 points, and grabbing four rebounds. Junior Dom Burns played a critical role for the Pioneers coming off the bench as he had a career-high 13 points, three rebounds, one assist, and zero turnovers.

Out of the gate Olivet jumped to a 3-11 lead in the opening three-minutes of the game forcing an early timeout by the Pioneers. Carroll had to adjust as they were facing a heavy zone defense for the first time this season. The Pioneers would continue to struggle getting the ball moving, leading to easy transition points for Olivet. With 12:06 to go in the first half, Carroll found themselves down 12 and in need of a spark. Burns answered the call and immediately started making an impact on the offensive end. Carroll quickly went on a 9-0 run to bring the game within just three-points. Lamar Smith was part of this push as he quickly became the leading rebounder off the bench for Carroll. The Pioneers had finally found a rhythm facing the zone and could now impose their physicality onto the game, as they were able to secure 16 offensive rebounds throughout the game. Carroll kept the game within striking distance, and with 4:13 to go in the half, Burns would hit a three-pointer off a Tyler Miller assist to give the Pioneers their first lead of the night. Wafford would put the Olivet defense back on their heals and hit back-to-back threes to give the Pioneers a 32-26 advantage going into the half.

Carroll was not happy with their first half performance and wanted to prove a point as Wafford would hit two more shots to get the Pioneers rolling in the second half and give the team a nine-point lead. Olivet wouldn't be done quite yet as they were able to string together a couple stops and take a 40-41 lead with just 13:28 to go. The two teams would then battle back and forth for several possessions until Carroll would extend their lead back to six. Carroll would continue to exhaust the Olivet defense and take a 13-point lead with just eight minutes left in the game. Olivet tried their hardest to fight back into the game, but a gritty defense and another three-pointer from Wafford would give the Pioneers their largest lead of the game at 72-56. With just 4:47 seconds to go, Carroll would continue to apply pressure and not let the game get back within single digits. Allowing Carroll to walk away with a 3-0 start to their 2023-24 season.

The Pioneers are set to take on #2 UW-Whitewater on Wednesday, November 15, at 7:30 PM.