Wheaton, Ill. – The fifth-ranked Thunder men's basketball team continued its winning streak on Saturday, following a 81-55 victory Carroll Carroll University in King Arena. Wheaton improves to 9-0 on the season (9-0 CCIW), while Carroll drops to 3-5 overall (3-5 CCIW).
 
Junior guard Nyameye Adom led all scorers with 25 points, shooting 8-for-14 from the field and 4-for-6 from the three-point line. He also added five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Senior Cade Alioth earned his fifth double-double of the season, scoring 14 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Tyson Cruickshank was the third Thunder player to record a double-digit scoring total, chipping in 12 points, including three three-pointers.
 
Collin Uveges, a senior guard, scored nine points and dished out three assists. Sophomore Eli Considine grabbed seven rebounds and scored four points. Senior Luke Anthony totaled six rebounds and added one three-pointer.
 
Freshman guard Justin Steinike led the Pioneers with 19 points and five rebounds. Senior Tarren Hall made four three-pointers and totaled 16 points. Freshman Ryan Mendoza also added 9 points.
 
The Thunder shot 47.4% (27-for-57) from the field, including 43.5% (10-of-23) from behind the three-point line. Carroll recorded a 37.8% (17-of-45) field goal percentage on the day, including 38.1% (8-of-21) from three-point range. Wheaton shot 63% (17-of-27) from the free throw line and Carroll posted a 59.1% (13-of-22) effort at the stripe. The Thunder out-rebounded the Pioneers 44-24. Wheaton grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, leading to 18 second-chance points, and scored 34 of their points from inside the paint.
 
Wheaton burst out of the gate on Saturday, racing to a 9-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game. Adom set the tone for the afternoon by scoring the Thunder's first five points; he knocked down a three-pointer to open things up and followed with a layup on the next possession. After Hall made Carroll's first bucket of the game, Cruickshank answered with a three-pointer to extend the lead to double digits with 15:28 remaining in the first half.
 
As Wheaton continued to extend their lead, Steinike made two free throws at the 7:20-mark to trim the gap to 28-14. The Thunder responded with a scoring run that lasted the remainder of the first half, earning a 14-2 advantage over the last seven minutes, and entered halftime with a 42-16 lead.
 
After Uveges and Cruickshank both made three-pointers in the opening minutes of the second half, the Wheaton lead peaked at 29 with 16:44 remaining in the game. Carroll scored eight points in the next three minutes, shrinking the lead to 21 after Hall and Steinike each made multiple shots in the span, but just two minutes later the Thunder surged back to a 28-point lead.The Pioneers came as close as 19 points with 3:02 remaining, but the Thunder scored the last seven points of the game to finish with a commanding 81-55 victory.
 
Wheaton will face off against North Central College next Thursday in a 7:00 p.m. tipoff against the Cardinals in King Arena.