HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College Men's Basketball again saw an opposing shooter catch fire from the three-point line, and were unable to keep pace, falling to MSU-Northern 59-69 on Saturday in Helena.

The Fighting Saints (8-9, 2-4) were unable to walk out victorious this afternoon, hosting a very physical MSU-Northern (13-6, 2-4) team at the Carroll PE Center, where they would ultimately suffer a 10 point loss.

The majority of the opening half was a very slow-paced, defensive battle. The two teams forced each other into contested looks, and neither team was able to create much separation. The lead would change hands several times in the half, and neither team was able to grow a lead larger than four points. MSU-Northern would score the final four points of the half, and carry a 30-26 lead into the break.

The Lights came out firing in the second half.

After a pair of Brendan Temple (Castle Rock, Colo. / SR) free throws opened the second half, MSU-Northern would explode for a quick 13-0 run. CJ Nelson would score 11 points in a span of two minutes to lead the charge for the Lights. 

A shell-shocked Carroll team would be unable to respond, failing to get stops on the defensive end and never cutting the lead back within single-digits. A James Lang (Portland, Ore. / R-FR) three pointer at the buzzer would bring the game to it's final score of 69-59.

MSU-Northern's CJ Nelson led all scorers, finishing with 22 points. The Lights' Jesse Keltner posted a 12 point, 10 rebound double-double.

Andrew Cook (Huntington Beach, Calif. / SO) led the way for the Saints, finishing his afternoon with 20 points and six rebounds. Brendan Temple was the lone other Saint to finish with double-digits in points, scoring 14.

The Saints will look to regroup and shift all focus towards a tough road contest at Montana Western on Thursday in Dillon.

Visit www.carrollathletics.com for a preview of that game, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.