By James Lang’s buzzer-beating three-pointer pushed Carroll College over the University of Providence 93-92 in the Frontier Conference semifinals Friday night at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls.
“It was a crazy last three minutes of the game,” said Lang, a redshirt sophomore accounting major from Portland, Oregon. “I was able to get the ball on the last possession, take a couple of dribbles, and elevate and knock down the shot.”
Carroll was able to secure the win despite one of the best outings of the year by Providence. The Saints were trailing by 14 points with just under three minutes remaining. They made a fierce comeback that ended with Lang’s shot at the buzzer.
Kendall Moore, a junior marketing major from Dayton, Ohio, poured in 29 points to lead the Saints in scoring. Andrew Cook, a junior psychology major from Huntington Beach, California scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
“This was by far my favorite moment of the season so far,” said Moore following the game. “For everybody to stay the course and for James to hit that game-winner couldn’t explain our season any better.”
Carroll fell to Montana Tech in the Frontier Conference championship game Saturday night 77-93. James Lang led the way with 21 points for the Saints.
Carroll finishes the season with a record of 19-11 and a conference record of 12-3. With the win, the Saints have earned an opportunity for an at-large bid to the NAIA national basketball tournament. This would be the team’s first trip to the NAIA national tournament since 2022.
The Saints will find out Thursday where they are headed for the first two rounds of the national tournament. These games will be played on March 15 and 16.
“We had a great showing at the conference tournament this past weekend,” Carroll head coach Ryan Lundgren said following the game. “This team has built a resume that is worthy of a national tournament bid and I can’t wait to watch them compete on the biggest stage.”
