Box Score MISSOULA, Mont. -- An 18-0 run by the Montana Grizzlies proved to be the difference as the Carroll College Saints women's basketball team fell 71-56 on Tuesday in Dahlberg Arena.

"I think it's definitely something to build on," Saints coach Rachelle Sayers said. "I think the speed of the game and the physicality was a little bit overwhelming. We got back on our heels in transition. They got some easy buckets. When they didn't get an easy bucket they got an offensive rebound. We really wanted to focus on doing a better job on the boards and getting back in transition and then just running our offense. I felt like we were a little bit chaotic at times and we didn't have good half offensively. I think second half was much better."

Senior guard Brittney Johnson led the Saints with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three.
"I thought she shot the ball really well," Sayers said. "She made some open threes that kept us in the game early."

Carroll took an 11-4 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter, but then Montana uncorked its 18-0 run that spanned the end of the first quarter and early into the second. Nikki Krueger's three-pointer broke the Saints' drought.

Carroll's three-point shooting kept them in it in the first half against a physical and speedy Lady Griz defense. The Saints hit 7-of-13 threes, led by Johnson who nailed 3-of-4.

But the Saints couldn't find anything on the inside, hitting just 3-of-18 two-point tries.

Montana shot 52.8 percent from the field as Carroll hit just 32.3 percent of its shots.

The Saints outscored the Lady Griz in the second half 27-24, settling into the game's pace and executing at a higher clip.

Cassidy (Hashley) Kosena, in her first game action in 20 months, scored 12 points, mostly in the second half, finding a rhythm in the low block late in the game.

"It was good to get Cassie back on the floor," Sayers said. "It was good to see her be productive."

Nine Saints scored in the game as the Saints bench outscored the Lady Griz' 35-19, though Carroll was without senior Mikaela Olson and sophomore Emma Madsen. 

"We had a little bit of a short bench without the services of Ole and Emma Madsen," Sayers said.

The Saints were strong with the ball, only turning the ball over 12 times while Montana turned the ball over 14 times.

Carroll plays its first counter on Thursday. As part of the Saints' annual Field Trip game, Carroll hosts Calumet College of St. Joseph  at noon in the PE Center.