NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Carroll men's basketball went toe-to-toe with North Central on Wednesday night, pushing the Cardinals to overtime before ultimately falling 82–78 in a tightly contested CCIW road battle at Gregory Arena.

The game opened at a high offensive pace, with both teams trading runs throughout the first 20 minutes. Carroll trailed just 32–31 at halftime, thanks in part to a late first-half surge capped by a Michael McNabb layup in the final second. The Pioneers remained locked in during the second half, erasing multiple North Central leads and eventually forcing overtime on another McNabb score with nine seconds left to tie it at 66–66.

In the extra period, Carroll continued to respond punch-for-punch, but North Central found separation from the free-throw line, converting 14-of-16 attempts in OT to hold off the Pioneers in the closing seconds.

Michael McNabb led Carroll with a standout night, scoring 29 points on 8-of-15 shooting while going a perfect 11-for-11 at the line. Lamar Smith added 14 points and six rebounds, and Dennis Estepp provided 10 points off the bench. Jacob Naber finished with 8 points and 5 rebounds, while Lucas Parker knocked down two threes for 6 points and added five boards.

Carroll shot 25-for-59 (42%) from the field and 21-for-30 (70%) at the line, while winning the fast-break battle 14–13 and scoring 36 points in the paint. The Pioneers' bench contributed 24 points, with Estepp and Jimmy Tarjan combining for 15 of them.

North Central (6–11, 2–6 CCIW) saw five players score in double figures, led by Alejandro Diaz with 16, Justin Sveiteris with 14, and Tyler Surin and James Bullock with 10 each. The Cardinals were sharp at the stripe overall, finishing 26-of-30 (87%), a key factor in the final outcome.

Carroll moves to 8–9 overall and 3–5 in the CCIW and returns home this weekend as conference play continues at Van Male Fieldhouse, with a big opportunity against #13 Illinois Wesleyan.