Men's Basketball | 01/11/25 | 7:42 PM

Box Score BUTTE, Mont. - The Carroll Men's Basketball team dropped their first of three scheduled matchups with No. 6 Montana Tech on Saturday, 74-67 at the HPER Complex.

The Fighting Saints (5-11, 0-3) made a good run at a comeback against the rival Orediggers (14-2, 2-1), but ultimately came up seven points short, dropping to 0-3 in conference play.

Carroll, like they have in most games this season, started the game off well. The Saints built a seven-point advantage over the first five minutes, but a high-powered Tech side would battle back and take the lead near the midway point of the frame. The Orediggers would build a lead as large as 11 points in the first half, and would lead by 10 at the break 38-28.

The Saints had a poor shooting opening half, going just 8-27 from the field, while Montana Tech shot 55 percent from the floor over the opening 20.

James Lang (Portland, Ore. / R-JR) was the lone Saint to post double digit scoring figures in the first half with 10 points, while Hayden Diekhans led Tech with 12 points.

Early in the second half, Tech would stretch their lead to a game-high 12 points with around 16 minutes remaining. Josaiah Cuaresma (Missoula, Mont. / SO) helped spark a Carroll run with a three-pointer, and by the 11-minute mark, the Saints had trimmed the lead to just four points, but that would be as close as Carroll would get as the Orediggers would eventually go on to win by seven, 74-67.

Isaiah Crane (Portland, Ore. / R-FR) led the Saints offensively, scoring 14 in the second half to finish with a team-high 18 points and six rebounds. James Lang was the only other double-digit scorer, finishing his night with 12 points.

Only six of Carroll's 22 field goals came off an assist (27 percent), while the Orediggers tallied 12 assists as a team.

Four Orediggers finished with double digits, led by Diekhans' 22 points and eight rebounds.

Carroll will now begin preparation for a Thursday night home game, as they host conference-leading Rocky Mountain College at the PE Center.

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

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