WAUKESHA, Wis. - Carroll men's basketball opened CCIW play with a hard-fought loss on Wednesday night, falling to North Park by a score of 70-64. The loss extended Carroll's losing skid to four consecutive games, the longest such streak since the 2022-23 season. 

North Park (4-3, 1-0 CCIW) shot over 46% from the field, including a white-hot 50% from three on 22 attempts. Going into the matchup, North Park was just over 20% from beyond the arc. Carroll (2-5, 0-1 CCIW) had an off-night, shooting over 43% from the field, and just over 10% from three. The Pioneers found success in the paint, scoring 46 points inside compared to just 20 from North Park. The game's leading scorer was junior Jacob Naber, who poured in 17 points and corralled seven rebounds on the night. Carroll won the battle on the offensive glass by a 10-8 margin. Carroll also forced North Park to 18 turnovers on the night, a season-high for the Vikings. 

Joining Naber in double figures was fellow junior Evan Bland, who scored 10 and had two steals on the night. 

North Park was aggressive from the jump, getting to a quick 12-0 lead and forcing a Pioneer timeout less than four minutes into the game. Carroll cracked the scoreboard with a layup from Bland and began to chip away at the lead, pulling within six over the next three minutes. A three-point barrage from the Vikings where four made threes over the last nine minutes of the period helped the Vikings to a 41-26 halftime lead. 

The two teams traded mini-runs to open the second half before a 10-0 Pioneer run spanning five minutes brought Carroll back within single digits for the first time since the 12-minute mark in the first half. A Bland steal and layup brought Carroll within seven. The deficit grew back to 13 thanks to an 11-5 Viking run over the following five minutes. Just as they have all season, Carroll showed resilience, drawing back within six points with two minutes to play. Carroll had a few unfortunate bounces that did not fall late, as North Park knocked free throws down late to close the game with an 70-64 Pioneer defeat. 

Carroll continues conference play on Saturday, December 7, where they host #5 Illinois Wesleyan. Tip-off against the Titans from Van Male Fieldhouse is scheduled for 4:15 p.m., and will follow the women's basketball matchup against #4 Illinois Wesleyan.