HELENA, Mont. – The 21st-ranked Carroll men's basketball team built momentum heading into the Frontier Conference playoffs with an 89-78 win over Rocky Mountain College on Saturday.
 
The game started gridlocked at 7-7 after a 3-pointer by Derrick Graves with 16:37 left in the first half.  Lorel Johnson knocked down a bucket to push the Saints ahead 16-11 with 13:34 remaining in the half.
 
After a 3-pointer by Rob Nyby to cut the score to 22-19, the Saints responded with an 8-0 run highlighted by a reverse dunk by Ryan Imhoff from Zach Taylor. Carroll led 30-19 with 8:27 left in the first half.
 
Rocky Mountain answered back with a 12-2 run that tied the game at 32-32 with a Nyby 3-pointer with 4:40 remaining in the half.  Both teams battled back and forth before the Saints took a 42-40 lead into halftime.
 
Carroll started the second half on a 13-4 run fueled by three 3-pointers by Taylor, to give the Saints a 55-46 lead with 15:50 left in the game.
 
Rocky Mountain chipped away at the score after a 3-pointer by Chad Kananen that cut the lead to 61-53 with 11:53 remaining.  It would be the closest the Bears got for the rest of the night.
 
Carroll took control of the game and increased the lead to 71-57 after a bucket by Match Burnham with 8:41 left in the game.
 
Both teams traded baskets down the stretch before Carroll would ultimately pull out the 89-78 win to close out the regular season.  The Saints finished with a 12-1 record at home.
 
Imhoff led all Saints with 22 points, going 9 of 13 from the floor, with six rebounds and two blocks.  Taylor scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half and almost tallied a triple-double with nine rebounds and seven assists.
 
Carroll shot efficiently in the game going 31 of 53 (58.5 percent) from the field and 6 of 11 (54.5 percent) beyond the ark.  The Saints rank number one in free throw percentage in the country and shot 21 of 25 (84 percent) from the line.
 
"This was a very important game for us." said head coach Carson Cunningham.  "We had great energy and competitive spirit and now get to host a semifinal game at Carroll College."
 
Carroll finished second in the Frontier Conference after going 13-5 and will host a semifinal in the conference tournament.  The Saints will take on the highest remaining seed on Friday, March 4 at 7 p.m. in the PE Center.