HELENA, Mont. – A mercurial first half from #23 Carroll College was just too much for Argo basketball to overcome. The Fighting Saints took a 50-18 lead after the first 20 minutes of play, and despite a much closer second half, UGF lost 94-56.
 
The game was a perfect storm against the Argos. In the weeks before the game, the Fighting Saints lost two tough non-conference games and dropped from 6th to 23rd in the most recent NAIA poll.
 
Not only was Carroll motivated to win, but they were also well-rested. The team had not played a game for a week, while the Argos were coming off a big upset victory over (15) MSU-Northern the night before.
 
The Saints were nearly flawless in the first half, shooting 20-29 from the field and 8-11 from behind the 3-point arc.
 
In that half, as in the rest of the game, the Argo's only effective answer was the free-throw line. Junior guards Sergio Berkley and Davone Oliver Jr. along with senior center John Makkar combined to shot a perfect 9-9 from the charity stripe, which accounted for half the team's points in the first half.
 
In the second half, UGF cleaned up the offensive effort, turning the ball over just five times as opposed to the team's 13 turnovers in the first half, and UGF also started to hit from long range. Sophomore guard Jarred Burr went 2-2 from three in the second half and fellow sophomore Jacob Wetzel hit two more off the bench.
 
Berkley led UGF with 10 points and Oliver was close behind with 8. Of their 18 combined points 12 came from the free-throw line. Burr finished the game with 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
 
The loss ends a three-game winning streak for the Argos and brings the team's record to 10-5 (2-2) on the year. Next up will be (11) Montana Western which will complete a run of three straight ranked opponents for UGF. That game will be at home for the Argos on Friday, January 13 at 7:30 p.m.