Box Score HELENA, Mont. – There is some debate whether the Helena Fire Department could even extinguish the flames at Carroll College's PE Center after what the Saints men's basketball team did on Tuesday night.

Hitting on 20 of its first 23 shots, Carroll lit the nets on fire in rolling to a 93-75 win over Lewis-Clark State College in the championship game of the Frontier Conference Tournament.

The win gives the Saints, the tournament's top seed, the conference's automatic berth to the NAIA national tournament, which is set March 15-21 in Kansas City. Carroll is currently ranked No. 4 in the NAIA and is 27-5 overall.

The Warriors, 23-10, also should be headed to Kansas City with one of the 14 at-large berths available. LCSC was at No. 27 in the NAIA's last Top 25 poll, but as the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament, the Warriors defeated No. 2 seed Montana Western in overtime last Saturday to advance to Tuesday's title game. Montana Western is expected to advance to nationals as well.

The NAIA will release a new poll Wednesday afternoon and at-large berths to nationals will be given to the highest-ranked teams that don't receive an automatic berth. Even if LCSC remains at the same ranking as the last poll despite the win over Western, the Warriors would receive an at-large berth.

After the poll is released on Wednesday, the 32-team national tournament field and pairings will be announced Wednesday evening.

If the Warriors get a bid as expected, it will be the third straight year the program has earned a spot at Kansas City and the fourth time in five years under coach Brandon Rinta. It would also be program's 12^th all-time trip to nationals.

"We will wait to see where we stand with the national tournament tomorrow," Rinta said. "I believe that this team has accomplished enough over the last two months to deserve an at-large bid."

Four of LCSC's 10 losses have been to Carroll this season, but the first three went down to the wire as Carroll claimed two three-point victories and a one-point win.

Tuesday's contest was only close early. LCSC jumped out to a 5-2 lead, but Carroll made its next nine shots and ran off eight straight points for a 19-9 advantage. Carroll then had two nine-point runs as nearly every shot it put up went in. The Saints hit 20 of their first 23 shots (87 percent) to go on a 33-9 run for a 45-16 lead.

"The No. 4 team in the nation definitely played like the No. 4 team in the nation tonight," Rinta said. "We let them get into a rhythm tonight out of the gates and they are too good of an offensive team to let them get that comfortable and confident."

Carroll finally cooled off as LCSC finished the first half on a 9-2 run to trail 47-25 at halftime.

In the second half, the Warriors cut the lead to 15 twice, the last at 76-61 with 4:23 left. However, it was just too big of a hole to climb out.

"I had three people come up to me after the game from their crowd and tell me that was the best they have played all season long and I believe it," Rinta said. "They were on fire."
Carroll finished the game 33-of-50 from the field for 66 percent, and was 9-of-15 from the 3-point line for 60 percent. The Saints also made 18-of-21 free throw attempts.

LCSC was 26-of-63 from the field, 41.3 percent, and 4-of-19 at the 3-point line, 21.1 percent. The Warriors were 19-of-22 at the foul line for 86.4 percent.
"We didn't shoot it that great tonight, but other than that, I didn't think we played that bad," Rinta said. "It was more how good they were playing."

LC put four players in double figures. Senior guard Doug McDaniel had 16 points, while fellow senior guard Zavon Jackson added 14 points and five assists. Juniors Trea Thomas and David Shedrick added 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Matt Wyman, a 6-foot-7 guard, and Ryan Imhoff , a 6-6 guard, provided the spark and fuel for Carroll's fire. The two combined to go 22-of-29 from the field (75.9 percent). Wyman went 12-of-16 and finished with a game-high 28 points and eight rebounds, while Imhoff was 10-of-13 from the field for 23 points. He also added 11 rebounds and three assists.