Men's Basketball | 12/01/23 | 11:44 AM

HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College Men's Basketball team will return to the court for the first time in nearly two weeks, playing a pair of North Star Athletic Conference schools, Mayville State (N.D.) and Dickinson State (N.D.), this weekend at the Coca-Cola Classic in Dickinson, N.D.

The Fighting Saints (3-3), rested and ready for their final month of non-conference play, will play the Comets (7-2) on Friday night at 5 p.m. (MDT), followed by a 7 p.m. (MDT) Saturday night showdown with host-school Dickinson State (5-3).

For the second time in the last two active weekends, the Saints will square off with a pair of teams from a neighboring conference.

Two weeks ago, Carroll split a pair of games against CCC foes, Eastern Oregon (L 73-69 OT) and Walla Walla (W 89-71) at the Quinn Classic in La Grande, Ore.

A roster filled with new faces, and a new head coach in Ryan Lundgren, seems to be rounding into form, with players understanding their roles and on-court chemistry starting to build.

The Saints enter the weekend averaging 40.2 rebounds per game as a team, and are averaging just shy of 80 points per game (79.7). Both marks are slightly higher than the 2022-23 team (75.3 ppg, 33.4 rpg). 

Zane Foster (Puyallup, Wash. / JR) has been a force defensively in the paint. Foster is No. 7 in the NAIA in blocks on the season with 19 in his six games.

Andrew Cook (Huntington Beach, Calif. / JR) has been equally as dominant, but on the offensive end. Cook leads the team, averaging 19.8 points per game, shooting .550 from the field.

Carroll will have a good December test this weekend, as Mayville State represented the North Star as tournament champion, appearing in last season's NAIA National Tournament. Saturday's opponent, Dickinson State, owns two ranked wins on the year, including a win over Montana Tech last month.

Friday's 5 p.m. game against the Comets will be streamed live HERE, and live stats can be found HERE.

Saturday's 7 p.m. game against the Blue Hawks will be streamed live HERE, and live stats can be found HERE.

Visit www.carrollathletics.com each night for a recap of the action, and to stay up to date on everything going on in Carroll Athletics.