(Editor’s note: Carroll College athletics release)
BUTTE — Senior forward Match Burnham scored 33 points and the Carroll College men’s basketball team remained undefeated with a 89-77 win over Dickinson State in Butte on Thursday.
Burnham made 11-of-22 shots and hit 8-of-9 free throws, while pulling down eight rebounds, to power the Saints. His efforts on the inside were contrived by Saints coach Kurt Paulson, who really wanted to emphasize attacking the Blue Hawks in the paint.
“We did want to go inside to (Match) and Matt (Wyman),” Paulson said. “We thought we had an advantage putting those guys inside. We told them to use their head fakes around the rim and get them in foul trouble.”
Joining him in double figures were junior guard Dane Warp (19) and senior guard Ife Kalejaiye (14).
Carroll led nearly the entire game, building a lead as large as 20 with a few minutes left to go. But, the impressive part for Paulson, was the Saints ability to remain in control when key members went to the bench with foul trouble early on.
“We had some guys step up big, Jovan (Sljivancanin) stepped up big,” Paulson said. “Hit some shots for us and played some tough D while we had some foul trouble. Thomas (Austefjord) came in and got us some big possessions.”
A Saint has scored 30 points in every game this season. Senior guard Matt Wyman scored 32 and 31 in the Saints’ previous two games.
Eight Saints scored against Dickinson State.
Burnham’s 33 was the second highest output of his career. He scored 39 points against Rocky Mountain College on Feb. 4, 2016.
The Saints face No. 22-ranked Warner Pacific back in Butte on Friday at 3 p.m.
