CHICAGO, Ill. – The Carroll University men's basketball team picked up their first CCIW win of the season on the road against North Park by a score of 76-59 on Saturday afternoon. Carroll used the momentum from a 40-22 lead at the end of the first half to finish out the game. Justin Steinike scored 13 points on 6-8 shooting, while Ryan Mendoza scored 13 points off the bench with two three-point baskets.
The Pioneers (5-11, 1-6 CCIW) shot over 57% in the game for the best shooting percentage of the season, while also making 5-14 three-point baskets. The deep Pioneer bench scored 43 points, and the whole team scored 23 points off 17 North Park turnovers. Carroll led by as much as 28 points with over 8 minutes left in the second half, as 20 Pioneers got to see the court tonight.
Carroll's first lead of the game came off of Ethan Balinao's (6 PTS, 3-4 FGM) second-chance jumper four minutes into the action. Carroll and North Park traded baskets for most of the first 10-12 minutes of the first half, but a Balinao layup with 6:39 remaining catapulted the Pioneers on a 20-7 run the remainder of the half. Mendoza and Aaron Wafford (9 PTS, 3 AST) both scored three-point baskets in the process.
Carroll missed its first three baskets of the second half before Steinike got a jumper to push a 20-point lead. North Park's consistent shooting in the second period cut the lead back to 16 with 14:58 remaining, but a defensive rebound leading to a layup from Eckahelo Simpson (8 PTS, 8 REB) started another Carroll scoring streak. Gio Carrillo (8 PTS, 2-3 3PM) gave Carroll the 28-point, 66-38 lead with 8:43 remaining in the game. Carroll kept a 20-point lead with 2:00 left as Paul Combs emptied his bench.
Carroll will host the Cardinals of North Central College for the first time since 2020 in Van Male Field House on Wednesday, January 19 for a 7 PM tip-off.