HELENA, Mont. – Bismarck State men's basketball began its Frontier Conference road swing on Thursday night with a high-scoring battle at Carroll (Mont.), falling 105-83 at the PE Center despite a double-double night from junior forward Houston Davis.
Carroll (7-1, 6-0 Frontier) used its pressure defense and three-point shooting to seize control early, forcing turnovers on the perimeter and turning them into points in transition. The Saints knocked down six threes and shot 53.7% from the field in the opening 20 minutes while capitalizing on 14 Mystic turnovers to build a 58-34 halftime lead.
Bismarck State (0-10, 0-6) responded after the break and refused to go away. The Mystics shot a blistering 68% from the floor and 55.6% from three in the second half, outscoring Carroll 49-47 and trimming what had been a 34-point deficit down to 17 in the closing minutes. Houston Davis powered the surge with 19 of his game-high 26 points after halftime, while BSC's ball movement and interior touches helped them rack up 46 points in the paint on the night.
Houston Davis, who played the full 40 minutes, finished with 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, and completed the double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds. His brother Tristin Davis added 12 points, three rebounds and three assists, and guard Alex Proctor chipped in 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Off the bench, Leon Andersson provided a spark with 10 points in 12 minutes, while Carter Zeller anchored the interior with six points, six rebounds and a team-best four assists.
Carroll countered with a balanced attack that saw six players in double figures. Drew Jones led the Saints with 21 points on 7-for-8 shooting and a perfect 5-for-5 night from deep, while Kellen Harrison added 18 points and three steals. The Saints shot 58.0% from the field, drilled 15 three-pointers at a 57.7% clip, and turned 24 BSC turnovers into 30 points.
The Mystics final game before the holiday break will be tomorrow, Dec. 13, as they finish up the road trip in Billings. They'll take on the (RV) Rocky Mountain (Mont.) Battlin' Bears (7-2, 4-2) at 8 p.m. CT.
Following that game, they will break for the Holiday, returning to Bismarck to host Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) on Monday, Dec. 29, at 6 p.m. That game will be played at Bismarck High School.
BSC will close the month with a Dec. 31 crosstown trip to face UMary (N.D.), and will return home on Friday, Jan. 2, at 7 p.m. to host Montana Tech.
Check out the men's schedule for information on how to follow and watch the team during their upcoming games.
Be sure to visit BSCMystics.com and download the MysticNation app to continue to stay up to date with everything going on in Mystic Athletics.
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