DILLON, Mont. – The 20th-ranked Carroll College women's basketball team broke out of a three-game slump to earn a 62-53 win over Montana Western Thursday evening in Dillon.
 
The Saints took the lead on a Katie Estey shot in the first minute of the game and never trailed for the duration.
 
Carroll built a 15-8 advantage to close out the first half and extended the lead to 17-8 early in the second quarter before Western went on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 19-18 with 4:05 left in the first half. Carroll extended the lead to 27-23 at the break.
 
The Bulldogs held the Saints within arm's reach for most of the third and trailed by just three, 38-35, with 3:49 remaining in the quarter. The Saints  then rattled off nine-straight points to take a 47-35 lead with 1:11 to play in the third before Western cut it to 47-37 at the quarter.
 
Western cut the lead to 57-53 with 0:36 remaining in the game but it would not be enough as the Saints pull away for the 61-53 win in the final seconds.
 
Baylee Watson continued her strong play with 12 points and nine points to lead the Saints, Cassidy Hashley tallied 12 points and seven rebounds. Estey tallied 10 points in the game.
 
The Saints were a respectable 20 of 50 (40 percent) and dominated the glass, outrebounding the undersized Bulldogs 45-34.
 
Defensively, the Saints held Western to 17 of 59 (28.8 percent) from the field.
 
"I was really proud of the way our kids respond tonight," head coach Rachelle Sayers said. "We played with a lot of pride and poise, especially down the stretch. We made huge strides defensively tonight and I felt like we did a much better job moving the ball offensively. In the end, our rebounding and our post play made the big made the biggest difference. We're looking forward to another big game on Saturday night."
 
The Saints move to 10-7 in Frontier play and into a three-game tie for third in the win column, MSU-Northern and the University of Great Falls are a half-game up on Carroll but didn't play tonight.
 
Carroll closes out the season Saturday against Rocky Mountain at the PE Center. Prior to the game the Carroll athletic department is hosting a fan appreciation 'tailgate' in the lobby of the PE Center.