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HELENA, Mont. -- After a four-game road trip, the No. 7 Carroll College Fighting Saints return to the PE Center to face Montana State-Northern and No. 22 Providence this weekend.
The return home is needed for the Saints (21-5, 10-4 Frontier Conference) as a depleted roster hampered them in recent weeks. The Frontier-leading Saints are 12-0 in the PE Center this season.
Carroll kicks off this week's slate of games by hosting MSU-Northern (16-10, 8-6), the second hottest team in the Frontier recently after winning three consecutive games. The game will also double as Carroll College's Pink Game presented by St. Peter's Health in an effort to raise awareness for breast cancer.
The Saints and Northern split the season series so far, while the second contest came in Havre while the Saints were missing senior starters
Match Burnham and
Matt Wyman.
Northern enters Helena with some of the best ball movement in the Frontier. The Lights lead the league in assists per game at 16.4 and lead the NAIA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.8-to-1. Mascio McCadney leads the Lights with 14 points per game.
Carroll will lean on its high-scoring starters.
Match Burnham averages 19.1 points per game this season while
Dane Warp is right behind him with 18.4 points.
Ife Kalejaiye also averages double figures at 13.5 points per game.
The Saints remain the best shooting team in the NAIA. Carroll leads the NAIA in three-point percentage (44), field-goal percentage (53) and free-throw percentage (81).
Carroll will once again be without the services of the high-flyin' Wyman, who remains sidelined with a leg injury.
The game against Northern will tip off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Fans are asked to observe one minute of silence after the opening tip to honor cancer victims.
Saturday the Saints will welcome in No. 22-ranked Providence (17-8, 8-6). Carroll is tied 1-1 with the Argonauts this season. Brandon Cotton (17.4 points per game), Jalen Shepard (16.6 ppg), and Austin Starr (15.8 ppg)all pace the Argos.
