HAVRE, Mont. – Match Burnham hit a contested three-pointer with .06 to play Friday to give Carroll an 84-81 lead over MSU-Northern (. The Lights would respond with a halfcourt heave at the buzzer by Adam Huse to force overtime. Carroll went 6-7 from the field in the overtime period to run away with a 99-90 win Saturday at the Armory in Havre.
 
The game did not look like it would be a classic in the first half. MSU-Northern built a 17-point lead behind a solid three-point shooting and great play from big man Ryan Reeves. The Saints, on the other hand, struggled from the field, hitting just 11-29 (37.9 percent) from the field.
 
The Lights built a 37-20 lead, but Carroll went on a 10-0 run to before the Lights hit a shot on their final possession to give MSUN a 39-30 lead at the half.
 
The lead would hover around double digits until the Saints hit back-to-back three-pointers to cut the lead to 65-61 with 7:22 to play, but Northern responded with a 6-0 run of their own to regain a 72-61 advantage with 5:55 left.
 
Carroll needed a spark and found in full-court pressure. A bucket from Lorel Johnson set in motion a 7-0 run in 24 seconds.
 
"Matt Wyman led the charge by hopping into the full court press, hawking the inbound action, and Lorel, Ife (Kalejaiye) and the rest of the fellas backed it up with fantastic pressure," head coach Rachelle Sayers said.
 
Carroll took an 81-79 lead with 55 seconds left, the first since early in the first half, but Northern responded with a layup with 21 seconds left.
 
Overtime was all Carroll. The Saints were 6-7 from the field in OT, including 2-2 from the three-point line to earn the 99-90 win.
 
"This is such a fun group to coach," Cunningham said. "They battle. Their moxie, their competitive fire is so fun to be around. Our vets played huge roles in guiding the proverbial ship to port. MSU-Northern played really well, hit some tough shots. Ryan Reeves was super-impressive, but the Fighting Saints managed to get it going and pull through. I was impressed by the fellas."
 
Ryan Imhoff was stellar, he had a career-high 34 points and seven rebounds. Burnham's three-pointer was three of 27 points, the most since scoring 39 against Rocky Mountain his freshman year. Wyman tallied 19 points, and Johnson had a season-high 11 points.
 
Despite the slow start, The Saints ended 33-67 (49.3 percent) from the field and 6-11 (54.5 percent). Carroll outrebounded MSUN 35-32 with Wyman leading the way with eight rebounds. The Saints tallied 15 assists. Alejandro Santos Piqueras had a game-high six.
 
Gabe Porter led Northern with 21 points. Ryan Reeves had 20 and 12 rebounds Huse tallied 17, including 5-6 from the three-point line.
 
The Saints are now 7-0 on the year and 1-0 in conference play. Carroll closes out the weekend against the University of Providence Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on 94.9 ESPN Montana radio and on the web at ESPNMontana.com. Live Stats are available via Dakstats, and live video will be streamed on the Providence Youtube Channel.