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CALDWELL, Idaho - The Carroll Men's Basketball team escaped their opening game of the Taco Bell Shootout on Friday night, beating Northwest (Wash.) 95-92 at the J.A. Albertson Activity Center.

It surely wasn't the prettiest win, but it was a win regardless for the Fighting Saints (4-0), who remained undefeated on the young season with their three-point victory over the Eagles (0-1).

What started out looking like another relatively comfortable win, got hairy in a hurry for the Carroll Men. The Saints lead nearly from coast-to-coast, but saw a 15-point lead disappear over the final seven minutes of action, eventually trailing with less than two minutes left before battling back for a win.

Down by one point with 1:29 remaining in the game, Isaac Round (Northampton, England / JR) hit a game-changing shot for the Saints. The All-Frontier guard buried a right-wing three ball with defenders closing-in, stopping a three-minute Carroll skid in which they were held without a field goal. Round's big-time triple put Carroll in front for good, the most important score in his 22-point effort.

On the ensuing Northwest possession, Gavin Gross (West Linn, Ore. / SO) came away with a block on an Eagle layup attempt, pulling down the rebound as well to give the Saints a chance to extend their lead and put the game on ice. Free throw makes by Round, and Viktor Bystrom (Linkoping, Sweden / JR) down the stretch would close out the narrow win, keeping Carroll unbeaten by the slimmest of margins.

The Saints cracked the 90-point plateau for the first time on the young season, led by a trio of 20-plus-point performances. Round's 22-point night was the most efficient performance by a Saint, as the junior went 6-9 from the floor, including a 5-6 effort from both the three-point line and free throw line. Fellow All-Conference performer Kellen Harrison (Bozeman, Mont. / JR) finished with 21 points on the night while pulling down four rebounds, but it was Bystrom who proved to be the X Factor all night long for Carroll.

Bystrom had a monster night. The Western Texas-transfer played 30 minutes, posting one of the most impressive double-doubles in recent history with a team-high 28 points and game-high 16 rebounds. No other player on the floor had more than four rebounds on the night.

The 16 Bystrom boards were the most in a single game since Zane Foster recorded 16 rebounds against SAGU in 2023.

Drew Jones was the lone other Saint to score in double figures, finishing his night with 19 points while also coming away with three steals to lead the team.

The Saints will now take on the host school, No. 16 College of Idaho, tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. to wrap up play at the Taco Bell Shootout.