HELENA, Mont. The Montana Western men's basketball team (10-9) fell to Carroll College (8-11) this evening, 86-78.

Kyle Gruhler led the Bulldogs with 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-9 from beyond the three-point line.

How It Happened

Carroll opened the game with an early five-point lead, but behind the three-point shooting of Gruhler, the Bulldogs surged ahead to take a one-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the half.

The first half featured five ties and five lead changes, with UMW capitalizing on Carroll's mistakes to score seven points off turnovers. However, the Saints closed the half on a 9-2 run, heading into halftime with a 38-32 lead.

Midway through the second half, the Saints caught fire, shooting 9-for-10 from the field and extending their lead to eight. Baskets by Alan Kane, Abi Adedo, and Gruhler kept the Bulldogs within striking distance, cutting Carroll's lead to just three points.

From there, Carroll used a 16-5 scoring run to extend their lead to as much as 16. The Bulldogs refused to back down, as Kane, Adedo, Gruhler, and Jalyn Stepney helped trim the Saints' lead to eight with just under two minutes to play.

However, Carroll's balanced scoring attack and rebounding advantage proved too much to overcome, as the Saints secured the victory.

Notables

• Adedo scored 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting and pulled down nine rebounds.
• Kane contributed nine points and six rebounds.
• Jacob Ankeny recorded a game-high three blocks.
• The Saints shot 65.2% from the field in the second half.

Up Next
The Bulldogs will return home this Saturday, January 25, to take on Montana State University-Northern, with tip-off set for 4 p.m.

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