February 7, 2026

MADISON, S.D. – It was a tale of two halves in the Frontier Conference men's basketball action Saturday evening at DSU Fieldhouse.   Carroll (Mont.) outscored Dakota State (S.D.) 50-36 in the second half to erase a 40-33 halftime deficit and defeat the Trojans 83-76.  The Fighting Saints completed their conference season series sweep of the Trojans.

Both teams are 16-7 overall record this season after Saturday's game.  The Saints are 14-4 record in the league, while the Trojans are 11-7 conference record.

How it happened

Dakota State came out sharp offensively, shooting 42.4 percent in the opening half (14-of-33 field goals) and building a 12-point advantage midway through the period.

A 3-pointer by Kaleel Sutton-White at eleven minutes and twenty-seven second mark capped a monstrous 19-2 run – including 11 straight points – and gave DSU a 23-11 lead.  Five different DSU players scored during the scoring run, including Tyler Beckwith, Lukas Morgan, Nolan Segner, Sutton-White, and Nathan Ojukwu.

The Trojans maintained control behind balanced scoring with seven different players scored and led 40-33 at halftime.  Carroll was 52.4 percent from the field (11-of-21 field goals) in the first half and hit 8-of-12 free-throws.

Carroll turned the tide early in the second half. The Saints shot 58.6 percent (17-of-29 field goals) after the break and used a 20-8 surge to take a 53-48 lead with 14:08 remaining after Isaiah Crane's layup.

Dakota State briefly regained the advantage at 59-58 on Ojukwu's basket with 11:07 to play, but Carroll answered with timely threes and consistent inside finishes from Nate Christy and Crane.

The Saints stretched their lead to seven points in the final minute and converted late free throws to secure the 83-76 road victory.

Dakota State was held to 38.7 percent from the field in the final twenty minutes (12-of-31 field goals).  Carroll shot 58.6 percent from the field (17-of-29 field goals).

By the Numbers

Carroll shot 28-of-50 overall from the field (56 percent), including 8-of-18 from three-point range (44.4 percent) and 19-of-25 from the free-throw line (76 percent).

Dakota State finished 26-of-64 from the field (40.6 percent), 7-of-27 from beyond the arc (25.9 percent) and 17-of-23 at the foul line (73.9 percent).

Both DSU and CC scored 34 points inside the paint.  Carroll owned a 15-6 advantage in fast-break scoring and 18-6 in points off turnovers.

There were four lead changes and four ties in the contest.

Dakota State Leaders

Five Dakota State players scored double digits in the game.  Lukas Morgan led the Trojans with 21 points and eight rebounds, shooting 7-of-18 from the field and 7-of-9 at the free-throw line.  He contributed a career-high six assists.

Nolan Segner added a career-high 12 points, while Ryan Beckwith contributed 10 points and four rebounds.

Tyler Beckwith and Kaleel Sutton-White each scored 10 points.

Nathan Ojukwu had eight points, five assists, and five rebounds.

Carroll Leaders

Nate Christy paced the Saints with 19 points and six rebounds.

Isaiah Crane added 17 points and seven rebounds.

Kellen Harrison finished with 15 points and six steals.  Drew Jones contributed 13 points off the bench.

Lorence Dela Cruz chipped in seven points and three assists.

Up next
Dakota State makes their final regular season road trip to Montana, continuing their Frontier Conference action at Montana Western in Dillion Friday and at No. 20 ranked Montana Tech in Butte next Saturday.

Both games are set for 8 p.m. (Central Time)/7 p.m. (Mountain Time) tip-off.