DILLON, Mont. – The No. 13 Carroll College men overcame a nine-point first half deficit, outscoring No. 9 Montana Western 57-29 in the second half to earn an 89-64 road win over the Bulldogs in Dillon Thursday evening.
The win moves the two teams into a tie for the top spot in the Frontier Conference at 6-1 with the rubber match scheduled for Feb. 7 at the PE Center.
The defense set the tone in the win. Carroll held the potent Montana Western attack, in which five players average double figures, to nine points less than their previous season low. Only one Western player, Shyke Smalls, finished in double figures, he scored 16.
"I am very happy for the Fighting Saints," head coach Carson Cunningham said. "I hope people realize how hard the fellas have been working. The intensity in practice, up and down the roster, is helping us get better. Western is a tough team. It was nice to battle our way to a win."
Early, the game seemed destined for a defensive slugfest. Montana Western drew first blood but with 15 minutes left in the first half, the Saints led 6-5. Carroll built a 10-5 lead but Western went on a 9-1 run to retake the lead.
The Bulldogs led the rest of the half and built a 33-24 advantage with 1:36 left in the frame. Carroll chipped away, closing the half on 9-2 to cut the deficit to 35-32 at the break.
Western again hit the first bucket of the half to go up 37-32 but the Saints quickly cut the lead to 39-38 with 18:10 left in the game. The two teams traded buckets before
Ife Kalejaiye tied the game at 48 with a layup and a free throw at the 13:47 mark and
Zach Taylor followed up five-straight points to give Carroll a lead they would not relinquish.
Carroll led the game 69-60 with 6:10 remaining but closed the game on a 20-4 run to close out the big conference win.
Taylor led the way for the Saints with 26 points, 20 of which came after the break.
Match Burnham notched 18 points,
Ryan Imhoff scored 15 and
Matt Wyman had 10.
The Saints were 21-33 (63.6 percent) from the field in the second half and 32-60 (53.3 percent) overall. After going 1-6 from the three-point line in the first half, the Saints were 7-10 after the break.
Montana Western was 23-57 (40.4 percent) from the field and 6-22 (27.3 percent) from the three-point line.
The Saints outrebounded the Bulldogs 35-28.
Carroll is now 16-3 on the season and the win was the fifth-straight.
The win plays a big role in the Frontier standings, the Bulldogs and Saints are tied at 6-1, two teams are tied for third at 3-3 in conference play. With 11 games remaining on the Frontier slate, the Saints can't get too comfortable with the outcome of Thursday's win.
"We can enjoy this tonight, and then tomorrow it's on to preparing for a potent Rocky Mountain squad," Cunningham said. "Our schedule has challenged us. We learned from losses. We aim to continue to grow and learn from wins."
Carroll will play at home Saturday against the Battlin' Bears.
