HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll Men's Basketball team made a significant run in the second half against Eastern Oregon, but they could not seal the deal in a 100-94 loss on Friday at the PE Center.

The Fighting Saints (2-2) dug a hole they weren't able to escape from in a disappointing loss to the Mountaineers (1-0).

Carroll came out of the gates as flat-footed as possible, finding themselves down 11 just three minutes into the game.

Following an impressive opening weekend, the Carroll Men couldn't quite to all get on the same page in the first 20. Issac Round (Southampton, England / FR) did his part in keeping the game within reason, going 4-5 from three point range in a 14-point first half showing, but Eastern Oregon simply did whatever they wanted offensively in the opening frame to bring a 19-point lead into the break.

The Mountaineers shot an unheard of 72.7 percent from the floor in the first half, scoring at will against the Saints in a dominant first half effort.

Four minutes into the second half, Carroll trimmed the Mountie lead to points on a Derek Kramer (Bellevue, Wash. / JR) tip-in, but by the nine-minute mark EOU had extended their lead back to 17.

Trailing by 10 with five minutes left, the Saints would come to life. Carroll went on an 11-0 run over the next two and a half minutes, with a James Lang (Portland, Ore. / R-JR) three-pointer giving the Saints their first lead of the game, 92-91, with 2:45 left in the game.

The lead wouldn't last, as EOU would go back on top quickly, and play solid defense down the stretch while knocking down free throw-after free throw to escape the comeback attempt with a 100-94 win.

Eastern's Garrett Hawkes led all players with 34 points, going 11-16 from the floor.

Isaac Round was the top-scoring option for the Saints, finishing with 26 points on an impressive 8-12 night from three point range.

Isaiah Crane (Portland, Ore. / R-FR) shot 80 percent from the field, finishing with 17 points in the loss.

The story of the game was Carroll's inability to stop the Mountaineers offensively, as EOU finished the game shooting 61.9 percent from the field as a team.

Tomorrow night at 8 p.m. Carroll will get a chance to bounce back from the disappointing loss, as they cap the 2024 Delta Marriott Classic against Southern Oregon.

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

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