HELENA, Mont. – After two blowout losses to Carroll College earlier in the year, Argo basketball was within 7 points of the (8) Fighting Saints in the second half, finishing with a 76-58 loss. The Argos shot exceptionally well from the field, but a 16-4 turnover margin in favor of Carroll was simply too much to overcome.
 
In the previous two meetings between the two Frontier Conference schools, the game was all but over by the time the two teams went into the locker room at the half. It was a different story this time around, particularly through the first 10 minutes.
 
The Argos looked good out of the gate, forcing the normally efficient Carroll attack into three misses and a turnover on its first four possessions. In the meantime, junior guard Sergio Berkley and senior forward John Makkar each converted an old fashion 3-point play to give UGF an early 6-2 lead.
 
Through five minutes of play, the Argos still held the lead. While they would lose the advantage a few minutes later, Berkley's aggressive drives and another Saints turnover had UGF within 3 points half way through the first half.
 
Carroll's offense would tighten up from there, only committing two more turnovers for the rest of the game and finding a hot hand in freshman Dane Warp who finished the game with a career high of 24 points.
 
Berkley carried the Argos in the first 20 minutes, scoring 12 of the team's 27 points, but a 5-point effort from senior Isaac Howard was a good sign for UGF.
 
Through conference play, the senior has either been one of UGF's leading scorers in a game or has scored 5 points or less. His performances have had a large impact on the effectiveness of the Argo offense and big made three in the first half against Carroll foreshadowed a good night for Howard.
 
With the score at 39-27 after the first 20 minutes, UGF had hope of a second half comeback against the Saints for the first time all season.
 
Those hopes were further kindled by the first play of the second half, a second made 3-pointer from Howard. He and Makkar combined to score UGF's first 10 points of the half and with three more points from Berkley in the following few minutes, the Argos had pulled within 7 points of Carroll with 15 minutes to play.
 
The Saints, however, then went on a 7-0 run and the resulting 14-point margin seemed to take the wind out of UGF's sails. Carroll would lead by double-digits for the rest of the game, taking away any chance of an Argo comeback by avoiding turnovers and shooting 60 percent from the field.

While UGF's 16 turnovers in the game were only a few above the team's season average, each mistake was magnified by Carroll's ability to get transition buckets. The Saints finished the game with 27 points off turnovers, while the Argos managed just 6.
 
Berkley, Howard, and Makkar combined to score 63 percent of UGF's points. The leading scorer was Berkley with 17, followed by Howard with 12, and Makkar with 8.
 
With the loss, UGF's record falls to 11-16 (3-13) on the year. The team will get two last home games to improve on that record before the beginning of the Frontier Conference playoffs, which the Argos have clinched a spot in. The first of those two home games will be against Rocky Mountain College on Friday, February 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the McLaughlin Center.