The Pioneers, ranked #25 in the latest D3hoops.com poll, improve to 15-2 overall, 9-1 in the Midwest Conference. Illinois College falls to 7-10 overall, 3-7 in league play. With wins over Ripon College, Grinnell College and Illinois College this week, Carroll is sure to move up in Monday’s new poll.
Coming off a record-breaking offensive performance in Friday night’s 150-138 win over Grinnell, the Pioneers started slow against IC on Saturday.
“We were a little sluggish at the start. It took us a little while to get our legs going,” admitted head coach David Schultz. “Our bench [Wes Ladwig, Adam Ligocki, Keith Johnson, Trevor Stratton] really did a good job for us, especially in the first half. They gave us a spark.”
With senior Jason Scheper logging just 19 minutes due to foul trouble, Toshner stepped up to fill the void on the low blocks. He continued his efficient shooting, finishing 7-of-8 from the field.
Carroll jumped out to a 32-21 lead at the half while holding IC to 27.6% shooting from the field. The Blueboys improved their shooting in the second-half (46.7%) but Carroll countered by shooting 62.1% in the final 20-minutes to keep a safe lead throughout.
The Pioneers return to action Tuesday evening when they host St. Norbert College. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.