ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Carroll knocked down 11 three-pointers and benefited from 29 Augustana turnovers Thursday in handing the Vikings a 73-64 setback on Senior Night at Carver Center. The hosts dropped to 3-5 on the season and in the CCIW, while the Pioneers improved to 6-4 overall and in the conference.
With the exception of a two-all tie, Augustana led for the entire first quarter.
Lauren Hall (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) scored seven points and
Kylie Jozwik (Lakes HS, Lindenhurst, Ill.) six, on a pair of three-pointers, as the Vikings jumped in front 20-11. Theresa Wichser hit a three to cut Carroll's deficit to 20-14 after the first period.
The visitors scored the first six points of the second quarter to pull even at 20-all. A Hall putback put Coach
Mark Beinborn's club back on top, but Wichser answered with another trey and the Pioneers had their first lead—one which they wouldn't surrender. Katie Rohner got in the three-point act late in the period, drilling three in the final 4:48. Her last came in the final half-minute and sent her team to the locker room with a 37-30 advantage.
Both teams cooled off considerably after halftime. Midway through the third quarter, all either had put on the board was a single three-pointer. Buckets by Rohner and Katie Evans pushed the margin to double digits (44-33) for the first time and one of 18 Carroll steals led to another Rohner hoop that put the Pioneers up 48-36. It looked like they'd extend the lead further when Sam Shallow pick off an Augustana inbounds pass, but two missed layups at the other end opened the door for the Vikings.
Gabriela Loiz (Alleman HS, Davenport, Iowa) hit a triple from the right wing with 1:35 on the clock, followed by a Hall field goal and a conventional three-point play by
Macy Beinborn (Pleasant Valley HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) that cut it to 48-44. After another stop, Jozwik dropped in her third three-pointer of the night and the hosts trailed just 48-47 heading to the fourth.
Wichser opened the final period with a four-point play and after Loiz nailed a trey to cut the deficit to 52-50, Brooke Foster scored five points in a 7-0 Carroll run that put the visitors back up by nine (59-50). Two Foster free throws later matched the Pioneers' biggest lead of the night (69-57) before Augustana made one final push.
Justice Edell (Rock Island HS, Milan, Ill.) made a three and the Vikings hit four of six free throws in a span of a minute and a half to pull within 69-64, but Carroll hit four of six charity tosses in the final 1:11 to close things out.
Loiz led Augustana with 16 points. Hall finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and Beinborn tallied 11. Edell, the lone senior honored during the pregame, had eight points and three assists. Rohner led the Pioneers with 18 points—two more than Foster and Wichser.
The Vikings had their best shooting night of the season, going 21 of 42 (.500) from the field and 11 of 24 (.458) from beyond the arc. They also converted 11 of 16 (.688) free throws and had a 34-23 advantage on the glass, but turned it over 29 times. Carroll shot .456 (26-57) from the floor, .393 (11-28) from three-point range and .714 (10-14) from the foul line. The Pioneers committed 13 turnovers.
The two teams will wrap up regular season play on Saturday, February 27, tipping off at 2:00 p.m. in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
