WAUKESHA, Wis. – The Carroll University women's basketball team will get a first-round bye in the 2023 CCIW Women's Basketball Tournament next weekend after picking up a 68-59 win over Wheaton on Wednesday night. Olivia Rangel led the Pios in scoring with 17 points, followed by Natalie Gricius' season-high 16 points.
 
The Pioneers (17-7, 12-3 CCIW) battled all game in a contest that had 10 lead changes and was tied four times. The Pios held the Thunder to 31.3% shooting while Carroll scored 42.6% of their shots. The Pios only had 11 turnovers and forced 18 with nine steals. Carroll led in points off turnovers, paint points, and bench points, carried by Gricius.
 
Carroll entered the game shooting poorly, converting on only 5-16 shots, but were up 11-7 at the first media time out. Lauren Soyke netted the driving layup to put the Pioneers up four. Rangel's first and-one opportunity of the night cashed in for three points, but the Thunder followed with an 8-0 run to end the first quarter. Natalie Palzkill and Gricius cut into the lead but Wheaton responded to keep their advantage early in the second. Chloe Halverson was the third Pioneer to give Carroll the lead back, and the Pios were up one at the media timeout.  Rangel's 11^th first-half point put Carroll up three, and then Gricius hit a step-back jumper outside the paint to keep the Pios trending upwards at halftime.
 
Wheaton made early efforts to cut back into the lead but Brooke Foster and Soyke helped keep the Pioneers out front. Efforts from Emilie Wizner, Gricius, and Rangel pushed the Pios up to a nine-point lead with 1:48 left in the third. Carroll went into the final 10 minutes up 47-40. Gricius opened the quarter with a spot-up three-pointer assisted by Rangel, and Rangel followed with a layup on the next possession to give Carroll a 10-point lead. The Thunder hit a three-pointer to cut the lead down to seven but Foster responded with a trey of her own. Free throw shooting led the way much of the final fourth quarter, as Carroll went 7-11 at the line, led by Gricius and Katie Rohner.
 
The Pioneers finalize the 2023 regular season and celebrate the senior class on Saturday, February 18 against Millikin at 2 PM. The matchup between the #1 and #2 seed of the conference tournament looks to be a potential championship preview.