COSTA MESA, Calif. - It might not have looked how they would have liked, but the Carroll men's basketball team picked up a win in its 2026-27 season opener, beating Stanton (Calif.) 71-64 on Friday night.
First-game jitters were in full effect for the Fighting Saints (1-0) in Friday night's season opener, as the group fought through some growing pains with several new faces in the lineup against the Elks (0-1).
The early stages of Friday's season opener were as rough as one could have imagined for the Saints. Over the first 10 minutes of action, the Saints were ice cold from the field, opening the game just 2-13 from the floor with eight team turnovers.
For a team that averaged over 85 points per game, shot over 50 percent from the field and limited turnovers to just 10 per game last season, the sluggish start was not the norm for Carroll.
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Things finally started to turn in Carroll's favor around the 10-minute mark. Reigning Frontier Freshman of the Year Drew Jones (Puyallup, Wash. / SO) knocked down a three-pointer, one of just two for the Saints in the half, trimming their early deficit to nine points at 19-10. Jones' triple sparked a 17-2 Carroll run over the next five minutes as the Saints finally settled into the flow.
Carroll would struggle to pull away for the remainder of the half, maintaining a one- to two-possession lead over the final six minutes of the frame. Viktor Bystom (Linkoping, Sweden / JR), who scored the first points of the season with a pair of first-minute free throws, bookended the half with a layup that gave Carroll its largest lead of the frame at 39-34 heading into the break.
Jones was the best player on the court in the opening 20 minutes, leading all players with 14 points, while Bystrom and Nate Christy (Spokane, Wash. / SO) combined for 13 points and eight boards. Altogether, however, the Saints struggled, going just 2-16 from range (12.5 percent) while matching their season average from 2025-26 with an uncharacteristic 10 first-half turnovers.
The Saints stiffened on the defensive end in the second half, and by the seven-minute mark they had extended the lead out to 13 points, the largest margin of the night.
Much like the beginning of the game, the late stages of the second half got sloppy. The Saints were never in danger of losing their lead fully, finding a way to come up with baskets that halted any Stanton run that percolated, but plenty of points were left on the board with missed opportunities and poor early-season execution. The Saints struggled again with turnovers, adding nine more to their tally, and struggled even more from three-point range, going just 1-8 in the second half.
A Stanton three-ball at the buzzer would bring the Elks within seven in the box score, but the Saints would be plenty fine with escaping the opener with a 71-64 win with several areas to improve on heading into a matchup with No. 20 Hope International.
Three Saints posted double figures on the evening, led by Drew Jones' 23-point effort. Kellen Harrison (Bozeman, Mont. / JR) added 15 points, while Nate Christy rounded out the trio with a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Carroll's influx of size helped out in the rebounding battle, as the Saints pulled down 37 boards to Stanton's 31, but a poor shooting night will surely leave a bad taste in their mouths. The Saints shot just 28 percent from the floor in the win and an abnormally low 12.5 percent from range (3-24).
Defensively, Carroll played more to its norm, finishing with 11 total steals and five blocks on the night.
The Saints will have little time to dwell on the game, as they are now tasked with a 2 p.m. matchup tomorrow afternoon against No. 20 Hope International, an NAIA quarterfinal participant from last season.
