HELENA, Mont. - The 14th-ranked Carroll College men's basketball team held MSU-Northern to 21 points below their previous season low and cruised to a 78-43 home win Saturday night at the PE Center.
Ryan Imhoff scored 25 points and added a team-high seven rebound.
Lorel Johnson added 13 points and
Ife Kalejaiye notched 10. Imhoff, Johnson and Kalejaiye all had three assists.
Alejandro Santos Piqueras notched nine points on 4-5 shooting from the field.
MSU-Northern hit their first two shots in their first minute of the game to go up 4-0 and led 9-8 before Carroll went on an 11-0 run to build a 19-9 lead. Carroll would never trail again.
The Saints extended the lead to as much as 16 in the first half, but Northern cut the lead to 35-23 at the half.
The Lights chipped away early in the second half to cut the deficit to 39-31, but Carroll went a 19-2 run to blow the game wide open eventually cruising to the 35-point win.
Northern big man Ryan Reeves notched 12 points and three blocks to lead the Lights. No other MSUN player notched double figures. Carroll made it tough on Northern MSUN shot 16-47 (34 percent) from the field and 6-24 (25 percent) from the free throw line.
The Saints forced Northern into 14 turnovers while notching just six. The Lights didn't have one steal in the game. Carroll also dominated the glass, outrebounding the sizeable Northern team 35-23.
Carroll had a 22-3 advantage in points off of turnovers and a 10-2 advantage in second-chance points.
"It was fun to see the fellas play with great unity, to get flowing in harmony like that," head coach Carson Cunningham said. "MSU-Northern is tough to guard with all their shooters and a big man like Reeves. I was happy for our guys. They're working hard and I think the fans can see that and appreciate it. The crowd gave us a boost tonight."
The win, combined with a double OT loss for Montana Western to LCSC puts the Saints back into a tie for first place in the league at 8-4 after two of three rounds of league play. The win was also the 99th in Cunningham's career.
"It's important in this tough league not to get too high or too low," Cunningham said. "We aim to learn from this, apply lessons, and get ready for the next one."
The Saints host Montana Tech Wednesday at the PE Center before traveling to Rocky Mountain Saturday.
