Box Score
MOSCOW, Idaho – The Carroll College men's basketball team made a 13-2 second half run but couldn't overcome a double-digit deficit as the Saints fell to the University of Idaho 80-62 in Exhibition action Tuesday at Memorial Gym in Moscow.
Ryan Imhoff notched a team-high 16 points and
Zach Taylor scored 14 points and four assists to lead the Saints in the loss.
Match Burnham scored seven and
Alejandro Santos Piqueras scored seven in his return to action after missing a season to injury.
Preseason All-Big Sky honoree Victor Sanders led the Vandals with 17 points while Tyler Brimhall notched 14 points and Braylon Blake scored 10 and a game-high seven rebounds.
Carroll was 20 of 51 (39.2 percent) from the field while Idaho was 30 of 62 (48.4 percent). The Vandals also outrebounded the Saints 37-30. Idaho also dominated inside with a 36-18 scoring advantage in the paint.
The Saints built a 5-4 lead three minutes into the game but the Vandals went on a 6-0 run to build a 10-5 lead with 14:38 left in the first half.
Carroll was able to keep it close, trailing 26-20 with 5:53 to play in the first half before U of I went on a 10-2 run to put it out of reach, Carroll wouldn't close to single digits for the remainder of the game and the Vandals to a 45-31 lead into the half.
Trailing 72-46 late in the second half, the Saints went on the 13-2 run. It culminated with a dunk from
Matt Wyman with 3:37 remaining to cut the lead to 74-59 but that was as close as the Saints would come. The Vandals went on a 6-3 run to close out the game 80-62.
"Idaho deserves credit for playing a strong ball game," head coach Carson Cunningham said. "We had some nice stretches, definitely saw much to build upon, but ultimately they hit tough threes and asserted themselves in the paint. That's a difficult combo to handle on the road. We need to use this to learn and improve, bottom line. We are looking forward to doing just that in the coming days as we prepare for two very game clubs across the border this weekend."
The Saints head north to open the season in earnest games Friday and Saturday in Lethbridge, Alberta. Carroll plays the University of Alberta Friday in a neutral site game before playing Lethbridge Saturday. Both games are slated for 5 p.m.
