HELENA -- Asher Williams, Hayden Diekhans, and Ethan Venema all scored in double figures, but the No. 20-ranked Montana Tech men's basketball team fell, 61-59, Friday night at rival Carroll College. 

Williams, a freshman, scored a game-high 17 points in his first-career start for the Orediggers (16-5, 10-5 Frontier Conference), while Diekhans added 16 points and eight rebounds. Venema chipped in 10 points and five rebounds off the bench. 

The teams traded blows in the first half as the host Saints (14-6, 12-3) took a 26-25 lead into the locker room. 

Tech quickly retook the lead on a Williams layup just over a minute into the second half, but Carroll responded with a 9-0 run to take control of the game. The Saints led until the 10:14 mark, when Rhett Reynolds tied the game at 42-42. 

Montana Tech didn't regain the lead again until the 2:35 mark, when a Diekhans free throw gave the Orediggers a 59-58 advantage. Carroll retook the lead with Isaiah Crane's layup with 2:11 to go. 

The Orediggers were held scoreless on their final three possessions of the game, however, and came away without the win. 

Montana Tech will look to get back on the winning track as Frontier Conference play continues Saturday at 7 p.m. at Rocky Mountain.

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