DECATUR, Ill. – Carroll University men's basketball used a strong second-half performance to pull away from Millikin and earn a 76–68 road victory Saturday afternoon at the Griswold P.E. Center.

The Pioneers trailed 37–31 at halftime before turning the momentum after the break, outscoring the Big Blue 45–31 in the second half. Carroll shot 50.0 percent from the floor after halftime and went 15-of-16 from the free throw line in the period to secure the win.

Michael McNabb led Carroll with a game-high 24 points, scoring 17 in the second half while going 6-for-9 from the field and 4-for-4 at the free throw line. Lamar Smith added 19 points and six rebounds, while Evan Bland chipped in 14 points. Jacob Naber rounded out the scoring effort with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Carroll built its largest lead of the game at 14 points midway through the second half following a 17–0 run that turned a tight contest into a double-digit advantage. The Pioneers also held a 36–16 edge in points in the paint and finished the game shooting 90.5 percent from the free throw line.

Millikin cut the deficit to single digits late, but Carroll answered at the line and closed out the game by scoring on its final four trips to the stripe.

With the win, Carroll improved to 12–11 overall and 7–7 in conference play. Millikin dropped to 13–11 on the season. Carroll's next conference game comes at Elmhurst on Wednesday as they look to extend their 4-game winning streak. Tip is scheduled for 7pm.