HELENA, Mont. -- In front of a capacity crowd during its annual Field Trip Game, Carroll College defeated Calumet College of St. Joseph (Indiana) 81-34. 

An estimated 2,928 were in attendance, packing the PE Center on Thursday afternoon. 

"It's exciting," Saints coach Rachelle Sayers said. "For me, obviously, it's fun so see that we brought this to Carroll and we brought this to the state of Montana. I wish we had more seats because I think we could continue to grow it."

The Saints opened the game on a 19-1 run, showing game-over-game growth after some tough lessons at Montana earlier this week. 

This time, the Saints bullied the Crimson Wave, grabbing a 43-16 lead at halftime. The second half would be more of the same as the Saints were in control throughout. 

Five Saints reached double figures, led by sophomore Jaidyn Lyman's 16, and eight Saints scored in the game. 

Carroll freshman Sienna Swannack experienced the raucous energy of the Field Trip Game for the first time, enjoying the memorable atmosphere. 

"The kids really lived up to the expectations for sure," Swannack said. "They told me it was going to be loud. They told me we weren't going to be able to hear. 

"My biggest responsibility today was to be vocal with my teammates and as big of a leader as I could be as a freshman."

As the Saints begin a grueling preseason slate, Sayers continues to look at her team for subtle improvements each time on the court.

"I think we're still a work in progress," Sayers said. "Obviously Cassie has been out for about 20 months, away from competitive basketball, so the more opportunities we can give her, touches, and get in sync with her teammates, the better."

The Saints are traveling to Spokane to face Gonzaga in an exhibition on Friday at the McCarthy Athletic Center. Several of the Saints' Washington natives will have the chance to play in front of their families. 
 
Sophomore guard Jaidyn Lyman, senior guard Brittney Johnson and redshirt freshman Molly McDermott all played high school basketball in Spokane. Sophomore guard Christine Denny played high school basketball 30 miles south of Spokane. 

"The nice thing about the D-I games for us is it teaches us so much about our teams," Sayers said. "It's a great experience for them, to take those Spokane kids home. You get to have those little failures and those learning opportunities without suffering a loss from it. The things we can learn now from those games are just so beneficial for us down the road." 

The Saints take on Gonzaga in an exhibition on Friday at 5 p.m.