HELENA, Mont. – The No. 13 Montana Western men's basketball team was red-hot, shooting 66 percent from the three-point line, to earn a 77-71 win over eighth-ranked Carroll College Tuesday at the PE Center in Helena.
 
The Saints led the entire first half and built a 24-13 lead with 8:07 remaining before the Bulldogs cut the deficit to 41-34 at the break.
 
Western continued to chip away at the Carroll lead and tied the game at 47 with 15:29 to play and took the lead on a three-point play from Shyke Smalls with 11:36 remaining.
 
Carroll regained the lead and built a 60-55 advantage with 6:36 left before a 13-3 run gave the Bulldogs a 68-63 lead with 2:26 left. 
 
Zach Taylor hit a three to cut it to 68-66 but back-to-back buckets gave Western a 73-66 lead. The Saints hit two straight to cut it to 73-71 with 29 seconds remaining.
 
Western went 4-4 from the free throw line during the final 28 seconds to close out the 77-71 win.
 
Carroll was efficient offensively, hitting 28-57 (50.9 percent) from the field and 9-18 (50 percent) from the three-point line.
 
Zach Taylor led the way with a game-high 27 points, six rebounds and six assists. Alejandro Santos Piqueras had 12 and Ryan Imhoff tallied 10.
 
The Bulldogs were 26-47 (55.3 percent) from the field and were led by Zaccheus Darko-Kelly who scored 17 points on 5-5 shooting. Four other UMW players finished in double figures.
 
The Saints fall to 21-4 on the year and 11-2 in Frontier play. They remain in first place, a game ahead of the Bulldogs who are now 20-5 and 10-3 in conference.
 
Carroll is back on the road Thursday at Rocky Mountain. The Saints and Bears are slated to tip off at 7:30 p.m. at the Fortin Center.