WAUKESHA, Wis. - Carroll men's basketball righted the ship on Saturday afternoon, defeating Wheaton (IL) by a score of 74-58 for their first CCIW victory of the season in front of an Alumni Day crowd inside of Van Male Fieldhouse. The victory came as the first win over Wheaton since the 2019-20 season, snapping an eight game Pioneer losing streak to the Thunder. Carroll controlled much of the game, as there were five ties and three lead changes in the game, including the Pios holding the lead for the final 25 minutes of game time.
The game's leading scorer was senior Erik Victorson, who continued his good shooting season in the fashion of 22 point on seven made threes in 31 minutes of play. Joining Victorson in double-figures was fellow senior Eckahelo Simpson, who contributed 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting in efficient minutes. Junior center Jacob Naber made his presence known inside, corralling 13 rebounds in the game, six of which came on the offensive end.
The two teams, hungry for their first conference win, traded punches through the first 15 minutes of play, with neither team gaining significant momentum and both teams exchanging mini scoring runs. For the first time since the score was 1-0, Carroll found themselves down 21-19 with five and a half minutes until the break. A midrange turnaround from Eckahelo tied it back up at 26 apiece two minutes later, a lead which the Pioneers would not forfeit for the remainder of the game. Five different Pioneers contributed a bucket as Carroll went into the half with a 39-33 lead.
A 12-5 run through the first five minutes gave the Pioneers their largest lead of the game, as Justin Steinike swished a transition three-pointer from the rightwing off an assist from Victorson to bring the score to 51-39 in the Pioneers favor. After a Wheaton three in response, the Pios rattled off seven straight, thanks to a Victorson three and consecutive layups from Lamar Smith and Evan Bland, giving Carroll a 58-42 lead with just over 11 minutes remaining.
Wheaton combatted the Carroll momentum with a 12-0 run of their own over the next three minutes to pull within four points of Carroll. Carroll, determined for a win and unphased by the Thunder surge, very quickly put comeback hopes away, as Aaron Wafford, Evan Bland, and Eckahelo combined for a 9-2 run to bring the lead to double-digits once again. Carroll scored seven more points, and a layup from Kobe Simpson on the final possession lifted the Pioneers to victory.
Carroll returns to Van Male Fieldhouse on Wednesday, January 15 as they welcome the reigning CCIW Tournament champions Elmhurst University, looking to avenge a buzzer-beater defeat from a year ago. Tip-off against the Bluejays will be at 7 p.m..
