CALDWELL, Idaho — Isaiah White buried a 3-pointer with 23 seconds left to bring Northwest University within one, but Carroll College (Mont.) held on for a 95-92 win Friday night in a back-and-forth finish at the Taco Bell Shootout.
The Eagles trailed by 15 with just over seven minutes to play in their men's basketball season opener. Hudson Yarbrough's layup cut the deficit to two with 2:05 left, and Christian Watkins tied the game at 88 with a three-point play. Watkins then made a free throw with 1:29 remaining to give Northwest an 89-88 lead.
Carroll's Isaac Round answered with a go-ahead 3-pointer and added two free throws to put the Fighting Saints up four. White's three made it 93-92, and Carroll split a pair of free throws to give the Eagles the ball down two. A turnover with four seconds left ended Northwest's chance to tie or take the lead.
Watkins led all scorers with 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Yarbrough knocked down four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, while White added 12 points and three assists. The Eagles outscored Carroll 54-44 after halftime. Viktor Bystrom led the Fighting Saints with 26 points and 16 rebounds.
Northwest returns to the court Saturday, Nov. 7, against the University of Providence (Mont.) to close out the Taco Bell Shootout. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. MT at the J.A. Albertson Activities Center in Caldwell, Idaho.
