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HELENA, Mont. -- There are no off nights in the Frontier Conference. 

After one week between games, the No. 8-ranked Carroll College Fighting Saints jump right back into the thick of it with battles against two Top 20 foes. 

Carroll hosts No. 18 Lewis-Clark State (15-4, 5-3 Frontier) and No. 3 Montana Western (16-1, 7-1) on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. 

"I think our preseason prepared us for this," Saints coach Rachelle Sayers said. "Last year we were in the same boat. There were a lot of ranked teams in our league, similar to what we're facing now. I think it's exciting. It's easy to get up for big games. We'll have a big crowd. It will come down to what team really executes their stuff the best and takes advantage of their opportunities."

Carroll went down to Lewiston, Idaho, and claimed a 60-53 win over the Warriors on Jan. 10. And this time around, the key to having another successful outing against LCSC and its great length will be whether the Saints dictate the game's tempo. 

"I think the biggest key is all about ball possession," Sayers said. "We don't need to get in a big hurry with them. They're a team that wants to get up and down the floor and shoot a lot of threes. We don't really want to do that with them."

The Warriors are No. 8 in the NAIA and the best in the Frontier  in assists per game with 17.2. 

Jossilyn Blackman (13.5 points per game), Hailey Turner (10.1)  and Abbie Johnson (9.6) leads the Warriors in scoring.  
 
The Saints counter with the senior from Gardiner, Montana, Hannah Dean, who leads the Saints in scoring (14 ppg), rebounding (7.2 rpg) and assists (2.8 apg). Christine Denny (9.5), Brittney Johnson (8.8) and Dani Wagner (8.5 ppg) are the Saints' next leading scorers. 

Carroll packs the No. 7 scoring defense in the NAIA, allowing 52.9 points per game. Along with it comes the No. 8-ranked rebounding defense, which averages 32.3 rebounds per game. 

After a Top 20 battle against LCSC, the Saints will quickly turn around for a Top 10 matchup against Western on Saturday. The Bulldogs defeated the Saints in Dillon on Jan. 12. 

Wins against both opponents will put the Saints back atop the Frontier Conference standings. 

The Saints are coming off a 1-1 week in the Frontier. Carroll grabbed tough win over Montana Tech (68-63) but then fell to No. 17 Rocky Mountain in Billings, 59-55. 

Thursday's game against LCSC tips off at 5:30 p.m. in the PE Center.