Women's Basketball | 12/14/23 | 10:49 AM

HELENA, Mont. - After a lengthy break, both the Carroll Men's and Women's Basketball teams will return to the hardwood tonight at the Carroll College PE Center. The Carroll Women will start the night with a 5:30 p.m. showdown with Grace (Ind.) before the Men cap the evening with a 7:30 p.m. scrap with SAGU American Indian College.

On the Women's side of the action, the Fighting Saints (6-2) will look to keep their hot start rolling. The Saints remained at No. 5 in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll after a pair of wins over top-20 teams in their last countable action late last month.

The Women haven't played a game since November, and while a break of this magnitude is unusual for most teams, it has allowed the Saints to rest, recover, and finish the academic year strong before what will be a jam-packed back-end of December.

Grace (4-5) comes to Helena in a return portion of a home-and-home between the two schools the past two years. Carroll played the Lancers on their home court in Winona Lake, Ind. last season, picking up a 71-56 win. 

The Lancers enter the night with three players averaging double digits in points scored per game, Maddie Ryman (16.3), Kaylee Patton (14.1), and Morganne Houk (12.1).

Conversely, Carroll has four players averaging 10-plus points per game, Jamie Pickens (18.8), Maddie Geritz (11.1), Willa Albrecht (10.4), and Kyndall Keller (10.3).

Both teams are nearly identical in terms of points scored and total rebounds (Carroll 67 ppg, 35.9 rpg - Grace 65.5 ppg, 36.3 rpg).

Look for the Saints to establish their half court offense, control the pace and crash the boards in tonight's game.

Just the same as the Women, the Carroll Men (3-5) have also seen a large break in their schedule, with their last action coming at the Coca-Cola Classic in Dickinson, N.D. to start the month.

The Men will welcome SAGU American Indian College (4-6) back to the PE Center for the first time since 2021. 

The 2-23-24 Warriors are a completely different squad from the last SAGU team to visit Helena. The Warriors enter the night with an impressive resume that includes wins over NAIA schools Jessop (Calif.) 61-49, and Saint Katherine (Calif.) 57-49, as well as a narrow loss to NCAA Division I Northern Arizona 76-72.

Carroll enters the game as the higher-scoring team, averaging 80 points to SAGU's 66 points per game, and rebound at a slightly higher clip as well (Carroll 38.5, SAGU 37.7).

One reason for the scoring output on the year has been Andrew Cook's (Huntington Beach, Calif. / JR) near 20 points per game average. The preseason All-Conference selection has shown why he is one of the hardest matchups in the league, and will look to continue his great start to the year tonight at the PE Center.

The Carroll Basketball teams have partnered with Van's Thriftway to help provide local head start children with appropriate winter attire. Fans attending this evening's games are encouraged to bring a winter hat or gloves to donate for local youth aged 3-5.

Both games will be streamed live on the Fighting Saints Network - presented by Point S Tire & Auto Service.

Live stats for the Women's game can be followed HERE, and live stats for the Men can be followed HERE.

Visit www.carrollathletics.com this evening for a full recap of the action, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.