HELENA, Mont. - A sluggish start gave way to a strong second half for the No. 15-ranked Carroll Men's Basketball team, as they picked up a hard-earned 93-88 win over Valley City State on Saturday night at the CC PE Center.

In a gritty performance, the Fighting Saints (12-4, 10-1) found away to overcome early shooting woes, an aggressive Valley City State defensive effort, and injuries to remain atop the Frontier Conference standings.

The early stages of Saturday's highly entertaining battle belonged to the Vikings, as VCSU guard Kaleb Larson hit his first six three-pointers of the evening to help give them as large as a 14-point lead.
Carroll couldn't seem to slow down the hot-shooting Larson throughout the half, and struggled on the glass. Valley City State finished the first half with nine offensive rebounds, extending possessions en route to a 44-34 advantage after one.

Carroll, who entered the game at No. 3 in the NAIA in three-point percentage (41.8 percent), couldn't buy a triple in the opening 20 mins. The Saints were just 1-8 in the frame from range, and shot just 39 percent from the floor total, leading to the halftime deficit.

Coming out of the break, the Saints flipped the switch.

Aidan McGarvin (Boise, Idaho / SR) put in a hearty shift at the start of the second half, making an impact on both ends of the court. Over the first three minutes of action, the reserve forward came down with a trio of offensive boards, and scored five of his career-high 11 points to kickstart a Carroll run.

An Isaac Round (Northampton, England / SO) three at the 16 minute mark tied the game for the first time since the opening minute, and on the next trip down the court Kellen Harrison (Bozeman, Mont. / SO) would give the Saints their first lead of the game, 47-44 with a triple of his own.

The Vikings wouldn't go quietly, however, as the teams would exchange the lead several times over the final 10 minutes of action.

Isaiah Crane (Portland, Ore. / R-SO), last year's Frontier Conference leading scorer, got rolling in the second half following a modest six points in the opening frame. Crane scored 17 of his team-high 25 points in the final 10 minutes, going 6-9 from the field and a perfect 6-6 at the free throw line.

The back-and-forth battle saw Carroll trail 80-79 with 3:48 remaining, as VCSU guard JR Cison kept things tight with a 21-point second half effort of his own. Crane knocked down a three-pointer with 3:00 on the clock to put the Saints back in front - this time for good.

Solid free throw shooting down the stretch from Crane and McGarvin, paired with a clutch corner three from Round with just 29 seconds remaining put the game out of reach, as Carroll escaped the upset-minded Vikings to remain alone at the top of the league standings.

For the second time this season, six different Saints scored 10 or more points. Crane led the way with 25, with Round following at 17, and Harrison posting 12 points. Drew Jones (Puyallup, Wash. / FR) added 10 points, while both McGarvin and Lorence Dela Cruz (Winnipeg, Manitoba / SR) finished with 11 points on the night.

While they finished below their season average from the floor (32-69, 46 percent), the Saints were outstanding at the free throw line, converting on 20 of their 21 total attempts.

Carroll will wrap up the first lap of Frontier play next weekend, as they head North for a pair at MSU-Northern on Friday and Providence on Saturday.