College of Idaho defeats Carroll College 66-50 in men's basketball

Defense Does the Talking as Yotes Silence the Saints at Elgin Baylor Arena

Defense sets the tone when early leads slip away, and on Saturday night inside Elgin Baylor Arena, the College of Idaho men’s basketball team let its defensive effort dictate the outcome. The Yotes clamped down defensively to defeat Carroll College 66-50, handing the Fighting Saints their first loss of the season.

The numbers highlight a stark contrast in efficiency between the two sides. While College of Idaho finished the night shooting 56.3 percent from the floor—connecting on 27 of 48 attempts—Carroll struggled to find rhythm, managing just 39.1 percent shooting overall. The Yotes also dominated the interior, outscoring the Fighting Saints 42-20 in the paint and securing a 15-0 advantage in second-chance points.

Tucker Tiddens led the charge for the hosts with a game-high 22 points and seven rebounds, shooting 8-of-12 from the field. Jackson Rogers provided an essential spark off the bench, adding 16 points on an efficient 6-of-7 shooting performance that included three 3-pointers. Dougie Peoples chipped in 12 points alongside a game-high three steals, helping fuel a defensive effort that forced 18 turnovers.

College of Idaho Uses a First-Half Run to Seize Control

Carroll opened the contest with early momentum, building an 11-7 lead before the Yotes adjusted. With 10:33 left in the first half, Rogers initiated the comeback by sinking a 3-pointer that tied the score at 12. A dunk from Kareem Barnett moments later gave College of Idaho its first lead since the opening minutes, and the hosts never looked back.

That basket ignited a devastating 23-5 run that transformed a four-point deficit into a 30-16 advantage. The Yotes carried a commanding 35-21 lead into the halftime break after shooting 56 percent in the opening 20 minutes while limiting the Fighting Saints to 33.3 percent.

The Fighting Saints clawed back in the second half, using an aggressive push to trim the margin. Carroll narrowed the gap to 48-44 with 11 minutes remaining on the clock following two free throws by Isaac Patik. That four-point gap marked the closest the visitors would get for the remainder of the evening.

College of Idaho immediately answered. Tiddens converted two free throws and Kairi Shepherd added a layup to push the lead back out to eight points. When Carroll trimmed the margin back to 56-50 with just over four minutes left in regulation, the Yotes slammed the door shut.

A 10-0 closing run—featuring a layup from Rogers, a dunk by Tiddens, another Rogers basket, and a final score from Tiddens—secured the 16-point victory. Carroll was held scoreless over the final 4:15 of regulation in front of 1,055 fans.

Looking Ahead to Northwest Nazarene

Viktor Bystrom led Carroll with 13 points and five rebounds, while Kellen Harrison and Drew Jones each contributed 12 points. For the Yotes, the bench outscored Carroll’s reserves 24-5, underlining the depth that helped push the team to 3-1 on the season while handing the Fighting Saints their first defeat at 4-1.

The schedule offers little time to rest. College of Idaho hits the road next, traveling to face Northwest Nazarene University on November 10, 2026, at 7:05 PM.