GREAT FALLS — For the first time since Kelvin Sampson took command of the Montana Tech men's basketball sideline, the Odiggers won the Frontier Conference tournament for the third straight year.
Tech star Asa Williams was outstanding in the first half to help the Odiggers beat Carroll 93-77 in the championship game at Four Seasons Arena on Saturday.
Williams scored 19 points, including 5 3-pointers and 15 in the first 20 minutes, allowing Tech to trail by as many as 19 points. The Oedigers led 47-30 at halftime, but Carroll fell just short with nine points remaining. Technology was never far behind in the game.
Williams scored 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including 8-of-12 from 3-point range. He finished his performance with three rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and two steals. Caleb Bellack and Hayden Deacance each added 15 points, making 36-of-66 from the field and 12-of-22 from 3-point attempts. Odigers had 26 assists on 36 shots.
Carroll hero James Lang, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the semifinals, had 21 points Saturday. He went 10-of-11 from the free-throw line, and Carroll went 22-of-25 from the stripe as a team.
For the Saints, Andrew Cook had 14 points and seven rebounds, and Isaiah Moore had 12 points.
The last time Tech won three straight Frontier Conference tournaments was in 1983, 1984 and 1985 under Sampson. Sampson is currently the head coach of the University of Houston, the No. 1 ranked team in NCAA Division I basketball.
Saturday's win gives Tech an automatic Frontier Conference qualifier for the NAIA National Championship, which begins March 15. The NAIA has already announced that Tech will host first and second round games in Butte.
The full bracket for the National Championship will be released on March 7th.
