KENOSHA, Wis. – The Carthage College Red Men picked up a much-needed win on Wednesday night at Tarble Arena, topping in-state College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin rivals, Carroll University, 79-66.
 
The win moves the Red Men to 7-8 on the season and to 2-4 in the CCIW, while the Pioneers drop to 5-11 and 1-6 in the conference.
 
"Quality CCIW win where we played with a purpose for 40 minutes," said head coach Bosko Djurickovic after the win.  "Exceptional game for Sean Johnson; exceptional game for Mike Canady; and your usual offensive contributions from Kienan Baltimore and Jordon Kedrowski."
 
Four Red Men starters found themselves in double-figures on the night, with Sean Johnson leading Carthage, one-off his career best with 17 points in the win.  Johnson finished 7-9 from the field, tied for the team-high in rebounds with five and assists with four, while adding six blocks, which is one shy of his career-best as well.  Jordon Kedrowski and Kienan Baltimore finished with 16 points each, as they matched each other, going 5-10 from the field. 
 
Rounding out the strong performances, Mike Canady finished with his best scoring output as a Red Men, as the senior from Lake in the Hills, Illinois scored a career-high 15 points on 4-6 shooting and 3-4 from three.
 
On the play of his senior guard, Djurickovic stated, "Mike is the kind of guy that everyone should appreciate.  He is a four-year guy that has paid his dues.  It hasn't come easy for him, he didn't play a lot his first two years.  He got a chance last year and did a decent job.  This year he has been a rock-solid performer for us.  Couldn't be happier for Mike.  He made some big shots for us and, as usual, makes a lot of small contributions for us that you don't see in the box score."
 
Carthage won the battle on the boards in the first half with a 20-14 edge and 6-0 Red Men lead on second chance points.  Trailing 9-8 early, a Sean Johnson layup followed by back-to-back three-pointers by Mike Canady and Jacob Polglase put the Red Men on an 8-0 run and gave them a 14-9 lead, which they wouldn't relinquish.  The Red Men's success at the free throw line opened it up late in the half to give Carthage a ten-point lead at the break, 36-26.  Baltimore led the Red Men with eight first half points, with four coming in the paint, which the Red Men won in the first half, 14-10, and at the free throw line where Carthage went 8-9. 
 
In the second half, the Red Men used a 68.2% shooting performance to pull away from the Pioneers, who pulled within three at the 6:56 mark, 61-58, before Carthage opened it up to a ten-point game less than two minutes later, 69-59.  Along with the impressive 15-22 from the field in the second half, Carthage went 4-7 from three and 9-11 at the line to secure the win.
 
As a team the Red Men finished with their second-best shooting performance of the season at 52.9% on 27-51 from the field, as well as their second-best free throw shooting game of the year at 85.0%, making 17-of-20 attempts.  The Carthage defense held Carroll to 20-54 from the field for 37.0% and forced 11 turnovers, seven via steals by the Red Men.
 
The Red Men will hit the road for their next game, as Carthage will travel to Augustana College for a men's and women's doubleheader in Rock Island, Illinois.  The Lady Reds will open action on Saturday, January 12 at 5:00 p.m. before the Red Men take on the #2 Vikings at 7:00 p.m.