WAUKESHA, Wis. - Carroll's women's basketball team opened their 2023-24 conference slate in style Wednesday afternoon with a 92-62 win against North Central (IL) in a game which the Pioneers led for all but the first 30 seconds. Twelve of the 13 players that saw the court for Carroll scored at least two points, while the Pioneers scored 17 second-chance points and 46 points in the paint. They also scored 18 points off 17 North Central turnovers.

After North Central (3-4, 0-1 CCIW) opened the game with a basket on the initial possession, Carroll's Natalie Gricius scored the next two to give the Pioneers their first lead of the contest. After a North Central basket tied the score at four, Gricius connected on a 3-pointer to give Carroll the lead for good. The Pioneers shot 57 percent (8-14) from the field in the opening quarter, but led by just three at halftime.

After intermission, the Pios turned up the heat, shooting 64 percent (21-33) from the field and 86 percent (6-7) from 3-point range after the break. They finished the game converting 70 percent (7-10) of their shots from downtown. The Pioneers outscored the Cardinals 30-12 in the third quarter, before coasting to victory in the final frame.

Gricius led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Emilie Wizner added 15 points and two steals, while Olivia Rangel chipped in with 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Natalie Palzkill led the Pionners with six assists, to go along with eight points and four boards.

North Central was led by Jocelyn Trotter's 13 points and six rebounds off the bench. Grace Kieffer and Megan Duffy each scored nine for the Cardinals, while Lexie Hernandez scored nine points in eight minutes off the bench, making all three of her 3-point attempts.

Carroll will try to keep things rolling on Saturday when they'll travel to Illinois Wesleyan. That game will begin at 5 p.m. in Bloomington, Ill., and can be seen live at https://www.iwusports.com/watch/?Live=675&type=Live.