Waukesha, Wis. -- The Thunder men's basketball team traveled north of the state border on Wednesday night for the last conference contest of 2023 before a four-game non-conference stretch. The Carroll Pioneers, sitting at 6-2 overall and 1-1 in CCIW action coming into tonight's game, welcomed Wheaton to town, looking to move two games ahead of their visitors in the early conference standings. But the Thunder put in a solid showing on the road to claim their first victory away from home this season and enter the win column in CCIW play.
Connor Braun scored a career-high 23 points on Wednesday to help guide Wheaton to success.
Both teams struggled on the offensive end at times this evening, particularly from three-point range, but the Thunder posted superior shooting percentages compared to their hosts. Wheaton finished with a 39% overall field goal percentage and shot 72% from the free throw line, while Carroll only managed to connect on one-third of their shot attempts and had to settle for a 69.6% tally from the charity stripe. The Thunder won the rebounding battle, 41-36, while the Pioneers committed fewer turnovers. The home side earned edges in points from the bench and second chance opportunities, while Wheaton held advantages in points in the paint and fast break scoring. The score was tied seven times in tonight's competitive conference clash, and there were eight lead changes before Wheaton eventually secured an important road win.
The graduate transfer Braun grabbed three rebounds, dished out a pair of assists, and shot 57% from the floor to enable his game-leading point total.
Kyle Neibch had a strong performance in tonight's win, posting 15 points, a team-high two steals, six boards, and was the only Wheaton player to sink multiple three-point attempts.
Nick Schiavello went for 14 points, a joint team-best eight rebounds, two assists, and the lone blocked shot for the Thunder.
Daniel Garza and
Nathan Clark contributed eight points and eight boards, respectively, with Garza hitting three clutch free throws in the closing seconds to preserve Wheaton's lead.
Braun opened the scoring tonight with one of the only three triples the two teams managed to hit in the first half. Carroll grabbed its first lead at 7-6, but a layup in the lane by Garza edged Wheaton back in front, and the sides continued to trade advantages on the scoreboard for most of the opening period. Braun's own layup in the paint gave the Thunder the lead they would hold for the rest of the half at the 2:34 mark. Two foul shots from the Wheaton center pushed the score up to 25-20, before the squads dropped in three-consecutive lane layups in the final minute to account for the 27-24 halftime scoreline.
Both teams' shooting percentages ticked up after halftime as the offensive execution improved, and Wheaton was able to create separation on the scoreboard. A three-ball from Neibch with just over five minutes gone in the frame pushed the Thunder's lead to 39-30, and a score from Schiavello three minutes later handed the Thunder their largest lead at 14 points. But Carroll quickly answered with a 7-0 run to halve the deficit, and Wheaton's advantage was limited to single digits from that point on. A Pioneer shooter splashed in all three of his free throws after a foul call to trim the guests' lead down to five points, and the Thunder managed just one field goal between the 9:48 and 3:08 mark of the second half as Carroll sought to make it a contest. Schiavello ended the drought with another layup to make the score 58-54 with three minutes remaining, and this proved to be the visitors' final bucket from open play. But Wheaton held its nerve at the foul line down the stretch and came up with two key takeaways to supplement Carroll's poor shooting from the free-throw and three-point lines. The Pioneers trailed by just a one-possession margin with 30 seconds left, but Schiavello and Garza combined for six made free throws in the final moments to see the Thunder over the line.
Wheaton's stretch of seven games away from home will continue on Saturday when the Thunder head to Grand Rapids, Michigan to face the #2 Calvin University Knights. Tip-off is set for 11 AM Central time.
