ALMA — The Carthage College men's basketball team improved to 2-0 with a strong 79-60 road win over Alma on Saturday at Art Smith Arena.

• Final Score: Carthage 79 – Alma 60
• Location: Art Smith Arena — Alma, Michigan
• Records: Carthage 2-0, Alma 0-4

• Carthage opened with energy on both ends, sparked by an early three-pointer from Ryan Johnson and a tip-in by Riley Brooks to take an 8-0 start. 
• The Firebirds forced five turnovers in the first eight minutes and pushed the pace, building a lead behind transition baskets from Antuan Nesbitt and AJ Johnson.
• Alma settled in and briefly closed the margin, but Carthage responded with a steady scoring stretch from Nesbitt and strong work on the glass from Johnson and Brooks. The Firebirds controlled the boards throughout the half, collecting 22 rebounds while holding Alma to just 35% shooting from the field.
• Carthage went into the break leading 35-32 after Ryan Johnson beat the buzzer with a driving layup.
• The Firebirds took command in the second half, going up by 14 with a three-pointer from Ryan Johnson. 
• A layup from Jabe Haith and a dunk from Nesbitt pushed the lead to 22 as Carthage went on to win 79-60. 

• Ryan Johnson led Carthage with 22 and 15 rebounds, his first double-double of the season. 
• Riley Brooks added 17 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double of his own.
• Antuan Nesbitt delivered 12 points and three assists, while AJ Johnson contributed seven points and five assists.
• Chris Schlesinger scored four, and Jabe Haith added six points and four rebounds off the bench.

"Another long road trip, and we are thrilled to walk out with a win. I thought our pace and energy in the first half weren't the greatest, but we picked it up in the second half. Holding Alma to 28% from the floor is special and a huge credit to the defensive group we had out there in the second half, which helped us extend the lead. 

Great to have Ryan Johnson back out there. One of our goals for today was to win the boards and get to the offensive glass, which we accomplished with both Ryan and Riley Brooks having double-doubles. 

Huge weekend coming up out in Pennsylvania. We are excited to participate in the Great Lakes Invitational against opponents like Maryville and Mary Washington. Both are terrific teams that are ranked in the Top 25."

• The Firebirds head to Washington, PA, for the Great Lakes Invitational, which begins on Friday, November 21, playing Maryville at 5:30 p.m. EST.