Men's Basketball

Four in Double Figures as Spirit Upset No. 24 Saints

CHANDLER, Ariz. – Behind one of its better defensive efforts of the season, the OUAZ men's basketball team knocked off 24th-ranked Carroll 86-58 at the Cactus Classic on Saturday evening.

OUAZ (9-4) forced Carroll (7-3) into a season-high 18 turnovers while limiting the Saints to 37.3 percent shooting. The Spirit dominated in the paint with a 60-22 scoring advantage while adding 25 points from those Carroll turnovers.

Josiah De'laCerda led OUAZ with 19 points and became the second player in program history to score 1,000 career points. He is now 59 points away from becoming the team's all-time leading scorer. De'laCerda shot 8 of 14 from the field and made both attempts from beyond the arc.

The Spirit went on a 17-3 run over a 7-minute stretch in the first half to turn a 24-20 lead into an 18-point cushion that they never relinquished. Carroll got within nine in the second half, but a 16-4 OUAZ burst opened a 72-50 lead with 6:26 to play. The Spirit defense held the Saints to only one basket in the final 5:58 to pull away for its largest win over a ranked opponent in program history.

Alex Villi added 16 points, with 13 from Kolten Hitt and 10 from Jayce Catchings. Devin Collins led the team with 10 rebounds.

OUAZ shot 48.6 percent and had a 30-27 edge on the boards. They converted 12 offensive rebounds into 13 points with 15 assists and just eight turnovers.

Andrew Cook led Carroll with 23 points.

The Spirit will close out 2022 on Tuesday when they face Providence at 10 a.m. in their final game at the Cactus Classic.