HELENA, Mont. -- Exhibitions against the Montana and Montana State highlight a loaded Carroll College women's basketball 2019-20 schedule, which Fighting Saints coach Rachelle Sayers released Wednesday. 

The Saints will take on UM on Oct. 29 in Missoula and the Bobcats on Nov. 11 in Bozeman, to highlight a few of the impressive slate of games. 

"We have another great schedule featuring games against Montana and Montana State," Sayers said. "I know our fans and players are always excited about those matchups."

Early on in the season, the Saints will test themselves with heavy-hitters in the non-conference portion of their schedule. To open up the season, the Saints face the Calgary Dinos, who went 29-7 last season and advanced to the Canada West Semifinals. Most of that Dinos roster is expected to be back. 

Also featured on the non-conference schedule are College of Idaho (both in Helena and then in Caldwell), Cal Maritime University, a Spokane slate with matchups against Whitman and Whitworth, an Oregon swing with games against Corban and Northwest Christian and a game against Eastern Oregon in Caldwell, Idaho. 

The first game against COI will also serve as the Saints' popular Field Trip Game, which packs the gym with local grade school students for a raucous environment. 

"We are excited to again have our annual Field Trip Game, this year against the College of Idaho," Sayers said.  

The Saints will also spend part of their December holiday back in Arizona to compete in the Phoenix Frontier Conference Shootout, bringing together some of top teams in the NAIA for several days. The Saints will get Our Lady of the Lake (NAIA tournament qualifier), San Diego Christian, and Thomas Moore, which claimed the NCAA D-III championship last season. 

This conference season, the Saints will face a difficult road schedule. The Saints will twice travel to three 2019 NAIA national tournament qualifiers. Carroll will twice go to Providence, Rocky Mountain College and Lewis-Clark State College, as well as two trips to Havre to face MSU-Northern. Carroll will host defending national champion Montana Western and Montana Tech twice. 

The Saints went 26-8 last season and advanced to the Second Round of the NAIA national tournament. With an impressive recruiting class coming in and two NCAA D-I transfers immediately eligible to contribute, the expectations are once again high in the PE Center. 

"We not only have a very competitive schedule, but we will also have major competition every day in every position, which I am really looking forward to," Sayers said. "With five national tournament participants in our conference alone, we will need to come together quickly if we want to make a deep run in March."  

2019-20 Carroll College Women's basketball schedule
20-Oct        Unversity of Calgary, Helena, MT, 2:00pm
24-Oct        College of Idaho    Helena, MT    12:00pm
29-Oct        University of Montana (exh)    Missoula    7:00pm
2-Nov        Cal Maritime University    Helena, MT    4:00pm
11-Nov        Montana State University (exh)    Bozeman, MT    11:00am
15-Nov        Whitman University    Spokane, WA    TBA
16-Nov        Whitworth Univesity    Spokane, WA    TBA
21-Nov        Corban University    Salem, OR    12:00pm
22-Nov        Northwest Christian University    Eugene, OR    2:00pm
29-Nov        Eastern Oregon    Caldwell, ID    TBA
30-Nov        College of Idaho    Caldwell, ID    TBA
3-Dec        Montana Tech    Helena, MT    5:30pm
6-Dec    Lewis-Clark State     Helena,MT    5:30pm
18-Dec        Our Lady of the Lake, TX    Phoenix AZ    4:00pm
19-Dec        San Diego Christian    Phoenix AZ    6:00pm
20-Dec        Thomas Moore    Phoenix AZ    4:00pm
7-Jan        MSU-Northern    Havre, MT    6:00pm
11-Jan        Providence     Great Falls, MT    5:30pm
15-Jan        Rocky Mountain College    Billings, MT    5:30pm
17-Jan        UM Western    Helena, MT    5:30pm
22-Jan        MSU-Northern    Havre, MT    6:00pm
25-Jan        Providence     Great Falls, MT    5:30pm
29-Jan        Rocky Mountain College    Billings, MT    5:30pm
31-Jan        UM Western    Helena, MT    5:30pm
5-Feb        Montana Tech    Helena, MT    5:30pm
7-Feb        Lewis-Clark State     Lewiston, ID    5:30pm
11-Feb        Rocky Mountain College    Helena, MT    5:30pm
15-Feb        UM-Western    Dillion, MT    5:30pm
18-Feb        Montana Tech    Butte, MT    5:30pm
22-Feb        Lewis-Clark State     Lewiston, ID    2:00pm
27-Feb        Providence     Helena, MT    5:30pm
28-Feb        MSU-Northern    Helena, MT    5:30pm