BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Carroll's 19th-ranked women's basketball team defeated #15 Millikin for the third time this season Thursday night with a 75-66 victory in the semifinals of the CCIW Tournament, advancing the Pioneers to the CCIW Championship Game for the second time in the last three years. The win also gives Carroll 22 wins on the season, which ties the program's single season record, set during the 2006-07 season when the Pioneers were still a part of the Midwest Conference.

The Pioneers (22-4) led for the entirety of the final three quarters, shooting 66 percent (19-29) in the first half and 50 percent (30-60) for the game. The Pios also converted 42 percent (5-12) of their shots from 3-point range and 83 percent (10-12) of their free throws. Millikin (22-5) finished the contest shooting 39 percent (27-69) from the field, 40 percent (8-20) from 3-point range, and 33 percent (4-12) from the charity stripe.

Millikin wasted no time, scoring on the game's opening possession on an Elyce Knudsen layup. The lead would change hands three times in the opening minutes, before Carroll settled in, ending the quarter on a 22-12 run, which was capped by a jumper from Natalie Palzkill. The Pioneers didn't let up in the second quarter, outscoring Millikin 18-9 in that period to take a commanding 45-26 halftime lead.

The third quarter saw Millikin climb back into the game, starting the period on a 9-2 run. Carroll would then hit a couple baskets to bring the lead back to 19 on a jumper by Olivia Rangel. The Big Blue would answer with another run of 14-4 to end the quarter and cut the lead to single digits heading to the fourth and final frame. In that final period, Millikin whittled that lead down to three with under five minutes remaining, but that's as close as they would get the rest of the way. Allison Thompson produced one of the biggest baskets of the night in the final minutes when Carroll missed a jumper with a four-point lead. Thompson skied for that rebound, putting the ball back up and in to extend Carroll's lead to six and help secure the victory.

Rangel led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting, to go along with seven rebounds, five assists, and a game-high six steals. Natalie Gricius added 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while also pulling down four boards. Chloe Halverson added 14 points off the bench on 5-of-8 shooting, including a huge 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. Thompson was a force to be reckoned with all night, recording team-highs of 12 rebounds and five blocked shots.

Millikin was led by Knudsen's 22 points on 10-of-20 shooting, while Sophie Darden recorded a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds (six offensive).

Carroll will now play the waiting game, as they'll play the winner of Thursday night's Illinois Wesleyan/Augustana (IL) game in Saturday's CCIW Championship. Saturday's game will begin at 3:30 p.m. at Shirk Center in Bloomington, Ill., with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division-III Tournament.