Men's Basketball | 02/22/25 | 8:42 PM

Box Score HAVRE, Mont. - The Carroll College Men's Basketball team closed out the 2024-25 regular season with a come from behind victory over MSU-Northern, 59-55 on Saturday evening at the Armory Gymnasium.

The Fighting Saints (14-14, 9-6) needed all 40 minutes of Saturday's season finale to win, but got the job done in a thrilling late-game comeback over the Lights.

A Kellen Harrison (Bozeman, Mont. / FR) three-pointer just two minutes into Saturday's game would give the Saints an early lead, but a response from the Lights' Leon Sayers IV on the ensuing possession would start a Northern run, and Carroll would not lead again in the opening 20.

Carroll struggled to knock down shots with any sort of regularity in the first half, shooting just 39 percent as a team from the floor. The Saints also didn't attempt a single free throw attempt in the frame, an oddity as the Lights made 12 trips to the stripe, converting eight in the half.

Northern controlled the game throughout the half, keeping Carroll at a distance for most. With just under two minutes remaining in the half, Northern would grab their largest lead of the frame at seven points, eventually heading into the break with a 29-25 lead.

Harrison scored 11 points in the frame on 4-5 shooting, while no other Saint made more than two shots in the half.

After not attempting a free throw in the first half, the Saints would attempt 18 in the second. Carroll's impressive performance at the line (15-18) helped keep things within reach as the team again struggled from the floor in the second half.

The Saints tied the game early in the second half, eventually regaining a small lead at the 13:48 mark (37-36), before the two teams would go on to exchange the lead several times over the next ten minutes.

With 3:39 remaining, Northern found themselves with a 53-49 lead. 

The Frontier Conference scoring leader, Isaiah Crane (Portland, Ore. / R-FR) would take control from that point forward. Crane was outstanding down the stretch, tying the game with 1:30 remaining on a tough layup. 

The shifty guard then knocked down a jumper with just 31 seconds remaining, putting Carroll on top for good. A three-point attempt on the ensuing Lights possession would hit the iron, and two more Crane free throws in the closing seconds would cap a 10-2 scoring run over the final 3:30 for the comeback win for the Saints.

Crane and Harrison were the lone Saints to score in double figures, each finishing with 16 points on the night.

Northern's Leon Sayers IV led all players, scoring 24 points in the loss.

Carroll's 35 percent shooting night was their second worst shooting effort on the season (33.8 percent - 11.2.24 vs ACU), and just the second time in Frontier play in which the Saints didn't shoot at least 40 percent as a team.

The Saints, picked to finish last in the Preseason Coaches' Poll, officially finished the season in a tie for second place in the conference, matching Providence with a 9-6 mark in league play. The Argos will have the opening round bye in next week's Frontier Conference tournament, however, having won the first two meetings in the season series.

Carroll will be the No. 3 seed in the Frontier Championship, and will have a rematch with the sixth-seeded Lights on Sunday, March 2 at 7 p.m. at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls.

Visit www.carrollathletics.com for further information on the Frontier Championship later this week, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.

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