ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Carroll men's basketball made the long trek to Rock Island, Ill. On Saturday afternoon, falling in heartbreaking fashion to the Vikings of Augustana College (IL) in overtime by a score of 85-77. Carroll (6-10, 2-5 CCIW held the lead for more than 29 minutes, but Augustana (10-6, 3-4 CCIW) scored 59 points in the second half and overtime, overtaking the Pioneers in the extra period. There were 10 ties and 10 lead changes in the back-and-forth, high level battle.

Carroll shot just under 36 percent from the field and under 37 percent from beyond the arc. The Pioneers also made 20 free throws in a game that saw 59 combined attempts at the charity stripe. The Vikings shot under 38 percent from the field and under 29% from three, making 25 free throws.The Vikings doubled the Pioneers efforts on the offensive glass, corralling 20 o-boards to Carroll's 10. 

The game's leading scorer was Pioneer senior Kobe Simpson, who scored 21 points in 38 minutes of play. Three other Pioneers scored in double figures, including the duo of senior sharpshooters Erik Victorson and Aaron Wafford, who both scored 14 points and combined for seven made threes. The final double-digit scorer for Carroll was junior forward Jacob Naber, who tallied 12 points and contributed nine rebounds. 

Neither team led by more than four points through the first 16 minutes, setting the scene for the instant classic that would follow. A 12-4 Pioneer run over the final five minutes sent the two teams into the break with a 34-26 Pioneer advantage. 

The Vikings came out of the break with a quick 10-2 spurt, forcing a Pio timeout. Both teams found a rhythm offensively, as they traded baskets for the next four minutes of gameplay, neither team separating by more than a possession. Carroll pulled away with back-to-back threes from Kobe and Victorson giving them a 52-46 lead. That advantage would grow to as many as 11 with under eight minutes left.  

With their backs against the wall, the Vikings began to chip away at the deficit. An Augustana three with three minutes left gave the Vikings their first lead in nearly 26 minutes of game time. The two foes traded blows over the final minutes and with 34 seconds in regulation, a Viking free throw found Carroll down three on the final possession. Two missed threes found their way back to the Carroll offense, and with two seconds left, Wafford hit a fall away three in the right corner with two seconds remaining to tie the game at 74. A good look from Augustana did not fall at the buzzer and there was free basketball in the Roy J. Carver Center. 

Carroll ran out of steam in the overtime period, scoring just three points and not making a basket in the extra frame. Augustana made two baskets and capitalized at the charity stripe to close out the game , sending the Pios home in an 85-77 heartbreaking defeat. 

Carroll returns to action on Wednesday, January 22, where they close out the first round of CCIW bouts at in-state rival Carthage College. Tip-off in Kenosha, Wis. Will be at 7 p.m..