WAUKESHA, Wis. - The Carroll University men's basketball team dropped their second straight game Saturday afternoon against Illinois Wesleyan, losing 86-72. The Pioneers shot 41.8% (23-55) from the field, 40% (10-25) from three, and 59.3% (16-27) from the charity stripe. Junior Kobe Simpson and Senior Justin Steinike were the leading scorers for the Pioneers, both scoring 15 points and grabbing three rebounds.
The Pioneers (10-8, 3-6 CCIW) forced 10 turnovers, grabbed 22 rebounds, and had 10 assists in a physical contest. Carroll won the battle on the offensive boards, scoring 12 points on 9 offensive rebounds to Illinois Wesleyan's 11 points off of 7 offensive rebounds. Junior Aaron Wafford was the third double-digit scorer for the Pioneers with 14. Junior Eckahelo Simpson led the Pios with 8 rebounds.
Carroll found themselves in a hole early as Illinois Wesleyan jumped out to an 11-2 lead with 15:24 left in the first half. Carroll would claw back, however, responding with a 10-4 run of their own that was highlighted by a three-pointer from Steinike, and two more from Junior Erik Victorson, keeping the Pios within striking distance down 15-12 at the 12:48 mark. The two teams traded baskets and maintained a competitive battle for a few more minutes, until Illinois Wesleyan found themselves pulling away, after a 3-pointer gave the Titans their largest lead of the first half at the 4:39 mark, up 35-25. A couple of Kobe Simpson layups would end the Titans' run temporarily, keeping the deficit manageable. However, the Titans would close the half with a 9-0 run, sending the two teams into the locker with the Pios down 47-30 at the break.
The Pioneers traded baskets with the Titans coming out of the half, but offensive struggles found Carroll down 70-48 with just under 11 minutes left in the contest. The Pios were down, but not out. Victorson made three straight free throws to stop the bleeding, and Carroll would go on a 21-9 tear over the next eight minutes, as Victorson, Steinike, Kobe, and Sophomores Jacob Naber and Lamar Smith would contribute to the Pios' attack. Down 79-69 with 2:49 left and new life, the Pios battled, but couldn't close the gap as three late IWU jumpers would leave the Pios with an 86-72 defeat in Van Male.
Carroll returns to action on Saturday, January 27, as they travel to Decatur, Ill. to take on Millikin at 4:15 p.m.
