Whitewater, Wis. – The Carroll University men's basketball team dropped their first game of the season to #2 UW-Whitewater 77-86. Carroll shot 46.7% from the field and just 2-10 tonight from the arc. Carroll was able to shoot an impressive 31 free throws, making 27 of them (87.1% from the line). Carroll had four double-digit scorers and was led by Aaron Wafford with 15 points.

The Pioneers (3-1, 0-0 CCIW) struggled out of the gates for the second straight game but were able to get back into the game multiple times. Throughout the game the Pioneers forced just eight turnovers, grabbed 36 rebounds, three steals, and a season low six assists on the night. Kobe Simpson had a good performance, scoring 14 points with three assists. Senior Justin Steinike found his rhythm for the first time this season and scored 14 points, while going 6-6 with the charity stripe.

Whitewater took a double-digit lead just six minutes into the game. Carroll, struggling to find any kind of offense, found themselves down 24-8 with 11:16 to go in the half. Unfamiliar territory, the Pioneers needed a spark. That came from three bench players as Steinike found back-to-back baskets, Erik Victorson hit a big three for the Pioneers, and Paradisio Dante had a put back dunk to cut the lead to just seven and force a timeout. Out of the timeout the Warhawks would push their lead back to double-digits and Carroll would fight to stay within striking distance. With just :39 seconds left in the half, Carroll would draw and off-ball foul to get to the line. In the process a technical foul was given to Whitewater and gave the Pioneers a chance to catch some momentum. The Pioneers would make all four free throws and go into the half down 33-39.

Wanting to keep the momentum going Carroll took control and was able to get the game to 39-41 just two minutes into the second half. The two teams would then trade buckets, until the 14:28 mark, when Eckahelo Simpson made a pair of free throws to cut the lead to just one. The two teams would continue trading baskets as neither team could get much of an advantage. In this time Carroll was able to cut the lead within two points, on eight separate occasions, but never take the lead. With 6:50 to go Eckahelo made a layup to make it a 65-66 game. The Warhawks then were able to string together a run for themselves and grow the lead to nine with just 4:39 left in the game. Carroll would put together one more run to bring the game within one possession, but Pioneers were forced to start fouling. Whitewater made all of their free throws down the stretch and the #2 team in country escaped with a 77-86 victory.

The Pioneers are back at home this Saturday, November 18 taking on University of Concordia-Wisconsin at 2:00 PM.