GREAT FALLS — DeShaun Rice had a game-high 18 points and grabbed five rebounds as the University of Providence Argos defeated No. 6 Carroll College 59-58 in Frontier Conference men’s basketball action on Saturday evening.
The Argos held Carroll all-American to nine points, the first time this season the senior didn’t reach double figures, and forced 11 Saints’ turnovers in the win. Carroll had a six-game win streak snapped in the loss.
Rice hit seven field goals, including three 3-pointers, while Sergio Barkley added 16 points for the Argos (11-15 overall, 5-11 Frontier Conference). Rice’s free throw with 44 seconds remaining broke a 58-all tie, then Imhoff and Kyle Nickol missed go-ahead baskets as the game concluded.
Carroll (23-5, 11-5) led 32-26 at halftime and held a five-point lead with 3:55 to play. Match Burnham scored two of his team-high 16 points to give Carroll a 56-51 advantage, but the Argos quickly chipped away. Rice and Barkley scored five straight points to tie the game at 56, then took the lead on a steal from Rice and two more from Barkley.
Matt Wyman’s bucket in the paint with 1:04 left tied the game at 58, before Rice made the first of two free throws to clinch the win.
Carroll hosts Lewis-Clark State and Montana Western to close out the regular season. The Saints trail the Bulldogs by one game in the race for the conference title and No. 1 seed entering the league’s postseason tournament.
Providence finishes its regular season at MSU-Northern and Montana Tech.
