DUBUQUE - Noah Carter scored 21 points Tuesday night as the Class 4A  third-ranked Dubuque Senior Rams defeated the Xavier Saints, 61-52, in  a Mississippi Valley Conference game in Dubuque.

Carter, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, made 9 of 13 shots from the field as the  Rams raised their record to 11-2.

Matt Mims scored 22 points for Xavier (4-9). Nolan Butkowski added 14 points.

The Saints scored only eight points in the second quarter and eight  more points in the third quarter, digging themselves a 41-30 deficit  that was too big to overcome.

The Saints hurt their cause by making only 12 of 24 free throws.

XAVIER (52): Mims 8 4-5 22, Butkowski 5 1-2 14, Joens 1 1-2 4,  Q.Schulte 1 2-5 4, Techau 2 4-8 8, Johnson 0 0-0 0, B.Schulte 0 0-2 0, Lux 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 12-24 52.

DUBUQUE SENIOR (61): Psihoyos 3 3-5 10, Link 0 6-6 6, Hallstoos 1 1-2  3, Timmerman 3 4-6 12, Hendricks 4 1-2 9, Carter 9 2-3 21, Hermsen 0  0-0 0, Larsen 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 17-24 61.

Halftime - Dubuque Senior 30, Xavier 22. 3-point goals - Xavier 6  (Butkowski 3, Mims 2, Joens 1), Dubuque Senior 4 (Timmerman 2, Psihoyos 1, Carter 1).