HELENA, Mont. - The No. 4 Carroll College Women's Basketball team picked up their first win of the 2022-23 season on Tuesday beating NCAA Division II MSU Billings 61-57 in front of their home crowd at the Carroll College PE Center.

Carroll (1-1) entered tonight's game looking to rid the taste of defeat from their season opener last week. The Saints, eager to play in front of their home crowd for the first team this year, did not disappoint, closing out MSU Billings for their first win of the year and their second-straight head-to-head win over the Yellowjackets.

Carroll got off to a bit of a slow start, and a fast-paced first quarter finished with MSU Billings in the lead 13-11. Both teams would score 13 points in the second quarter, giving the Yellowjackets a 26-24 lead heading into the break.

The Saints shot 39.74 percent from the field in the first half, with the majority of their points coming in the paint. Jamie Pickens (Helena, Mont. / SR) led the Saints in the first half with 10 points. Addi Ekstrom (Bozeman, Mont. / SO) was a spark off of the bench for the Saints, adding seven points of her own in the second quarter.

Carroll came out of halftime hot, regaining control of the lead and finishing the third quarter on top 42-41. After Carroll extended their lead early in the fourth quarter, MSU Billings would go on a run and take the lead with three minutes left in the game off a Duyani Boyce three-pointer. Kyndall Keller (Havre, Mont. / JR) nailed a three with two minutes left to give the Saints a lead that they would not surrender. After a series of free throws, Carroll would close out the game 61-57.

Kyndall Keller, a transfer from Montana had a terrific game for the Saints, finishing tied for a game-high 17 points alongside Jamie Pickens and MSU Billings' Kortney Nelson. 

Sienna Swannack (Nine Mile Falls, Wash. / GR) finished with seven points, six assists, and five rebounds.

MSU Billings' Kortney Nelson finished with 17 points and nine rebounds.

The No. 4 ranked Saints now turn their attention to what may be the biggest NAIA game of the young season, as they host current No. 1 and defending NAIA National Champion Thomas More at the PE Center on Friday at 7 p.m.

Visit www.carrollathletics.com for a preview of that game, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.