Waukesha, Wis. – The Carroll University men's basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak with a 86-61 victory over Northland College. The Pioneers shot 54.8%, 44.4% from three, and just 60% from the free throw line. Senior
Eckahelo Simpson led the for the Pioneers with 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists on the day.
The Pioneers (7-4, 1-3 CCIW) forced 15 turnovers, grabbed 38 rebounds, had eight steals, and 20 assists in the contest.
Jacob Naber added six points, 10 rebounds, and four assists to help the team, while
Justin Steinike and
Aaron Wafford added 11 points apiece.
Carroll led the game from start to finish, as the Pioneers jumped out to an early 7-0 lead. Northland would look to close the gap, but with 13:21 to go in the half, a Steinike layup would give the Pios their first double-digit lead of the night. The Lumber Jacks would string together their own 7-0 run to bring the score to 16-13 with 11:49 to go, forcing
Taylor Jannsen to call a timeout. Out of the timeout Carroll would start to pull together to push the lead out once again. With 6:01 to go in the half,
Dom Burns would make a layup to give the Pioneers back their double-digit advantage. Carroll wouldn't look back, as
Tyler Miller would make a three-pointer with 0:22 on the clock giving the Pioneers a 39-24 advantage going into the break.
Coming out of the half, the Pioneers would look to further their lead. Just 2 minutes into the half, Wafford would get a steal and find Steinike wide open up the court. Steinike would hit the three to give the Pioneers their largest lead of the night at 18. The two teams would trade buckets until a Kobe three-pointer at the 15:30 mark gave Carroll a 55-34 advantage. The Pioneers would continue to play strong defense and keep their offensive rhythm going throughout the remainder of the second half. With 3:20 to go in the game
Erik Victorson converted a four-point play to give the Pioneers an 80-50 advantage. Allowing Carroll to empty its bench and get everyone a piece of the action.
Nick Janega would hit a jump shot with 0:29 for his first collegiate points and seal the 86-61 victory for Carroll.
The Pioneers are back at home against Lakeland University on Wednesday, December 20, at 7 PM.
