BELLEVUE, Neb. - The Carroll College Men's Basketball team led for a large portion of Friday night's road battle, but watched it slip away in an 82-75 loss to (RV) Bellevue at the BU Fieldhouse.

For the second consecutive meeting, the Fighting Saints (15-7, 13-4) couldn't find a way to close out a win down the against the Bruins, as a late-game push lifted BU to a sweep of the season series.

The night began as well as possible for Carroll, as the Saints stormed out of the gates on a 17-2 run over the opening six minutes of action. Bellevue settled in, however, and responded with a 15-4 run of their own over the next six minutes to pull back within a pair of scores at 21-17.

Carroll would go on to close out the frame with an eight-point lead at the break thanks in large part to a 60 percent shooting half (17-28) and a 15-12 advantage on the glass, while BU shot just 42 percent (12-18).

Two of the Frontier's best led their respective teams in the opening half, as Ahamad Bynum scored 13 for the Bruins, while Isaiah Crane (Portland, Ore. / R-SO) dropped 11 for the Saints.

Coming out of the break, Carroll managed to hold their lead for the opening 10 minutes, while the Bruins began to chip away. Missed shots and turnovers began to pile up near the midway point of the frame for the Saints, and by the 10-minute media timeout, the game was knotted at 58-58.

The Saints fought for the next six minutes of game time, with good ball movement and a pair of triples from Crane and Drew Jones (Puyallup, Wash. / FR) helping grow their lead back to seven points with just four minutes remaining. 

Crane picked up his fifth foul on a Bynum three-point attempt with three minutes remaining, and would be forced to end his night early while BU mounted a comeback with all three free throws sparking a run. The Bruins would take a lead for good with 1:30 remaining, as the Saints failed to find a bucket over the final 90 seconds in the loss.

Although his night was cut short with the foul-out, Isaiah Crane had an outstanding showing. The talented guard led Carroll in nearly every category, finishing with team-highs in points (20), rebounds (8), and assists (6).

Lorence Dela Cruz (Winnipeg, Manitoba / SR) scored 14 points on a 7-of-13 shooting night, while Nate Christy (Spokane, Wash. / FR) added 11 points and five boards to round out the Saints with 10 or more points in the game.

Bellevue's Ahamad Bynum finished with a game-high 25 points, while four other Bruins all finished with 12 points in the win.

The Saints will look to shake the loss quickly, as they turn their attention towards a 7 p.m. (MST) showdown with Dakota State tomorrow night at in Madison, S.D.