Wheaton, Ill. -- The 2021-22 conference home opener for Wheaton women's basketball proved to be a winning affair as the Thunder earned a 62-50 victory over the Carroll Pioneers. Tonight's win pushes Wheaton's record to 9-1 overall and 2-1 in CCIW play. Ellie Cassel led the way for the Thunder on Wednesday evening with 14 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks, while Annie Tate also posted double-digit scoring with 12 and added five rebounds and two assists.

Full game stats from the box score reflect fairly even numbers in the key categories. Wheaton topped Carroll 36-30 in points in the paint, but the Pioneers had seven fast break points to Wheaton's four. Both teams ended the night with 11 second chance points, and were nearly identical in bench points, as well, with Carroll earning 23 to Wheaton's 22. The significant edge that helps explain the final scoreline came in the form of points off of turnovers, with the Thunder cashing in 16 and their guests only managing two. 

The Thunder shot 36.5% from the floor and 26.7% from beyond the arc. The home side had a solid 80% conversion rate from the charity stripe, going 12-15 on free throws. In addition to the aforementioned Cassel and Tate, Wheaton was also driven by Caroline Sikkink's nine points and Annika Richardson's seven points and six rebounds. Hannah Swider contributed seven points and two assists, while Caylee Hermanson chipped in with five points and seven boards.

Carroll got off to a fast start, converting a layup just five seconds into the game to seize an early lead, and the Pioneers went on an 8-0 run before Wheaton finally scored their first points of the contest. The Thunder missed their opening four shot attempts, but a pair of free throws from Cassel got the home side on the board two and a half minutes in. From this point on, Wheaton mounted a 10-0 run of their own to build a 12-8 lead, fueled by a Caroline Sikkink layup, two baskets courtesy of Annie Tate, and five straight points by Cassel. A Pios three-pointer with two minutes left in the first quarter cut Wheaton's lead to one, but the Thunder ended the period in confident fashion, with back-to-back layups from Annika Richardson allowing the hosts to snatch a 18-13 lead heading into the second quarter. 

Hannah Swider helped Wheaton begin the period in perfect fashion, converting a jumper in the paint to stretch Wheaton's lead to seven. She followed this score up with an and-1 layup to give the Thunder their first double-digit advantage of the game at 23-13. The two sides traded a few baskets in the subsequent minutes, but the second quarter proved to be a defensive battle, as both teams put up their fewest point totals of the night. The Pioneers scored to make it 28-20, before an Annika Richardson three-pointer with a minute remaining gave Wheaton a 31-20 lead at the halftime break.

The third quarter followed a similar trajectory, albeit with more shots falling for either team. Carroll managed to hold their own offensively after the break, and Wheaton only won the second half by one point, but the Thunder's lead was large enough that it never felt as though the Pioneers were going to mount a successful comeback. The closest the visitors from Wisconsin got to their hosts was eight points three minutes into the second half, but a long-range jumper from Tate immediately restored Wheaton's eleven point lead. A pair of successful free throws from the same player pushed Wheaton's lead to as large as 18 halfway through the final period, and Caylee Hermanson added a triple with 1:52 remaining to seemingly wrap up a blowout win for the Thunder. But Carroll were determined to restore some pride down the stretch, and two Pioneer layups and free throws restricted Wheaton's win to a more balanced 12 points. Despite some spirited play from their guests on Wednesday night, it was an assured performance from the Thunder in their conference home debut. 

Next up for Wheaton is a home clash with Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday evening, and the Thunder will be hoping to keep the good momentum going by earning their third consecutive conference win.