GREAT FALLS, Mont. - The No. 11 Carroll College Women's Basketball team defeated No. 15 Montana Western 53-47 on Tuesday evening at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls to claim the 2023 Frontier Conference Tournament crown.

The Fighting Saints (25-5, 14-1) emerged victorious in a championship clash with No. 15 Montana Western (25-5, 12-3), securing a Frontier Conference Tournament title to go alongside their 2022-23 Frontier Conference regular season championship.

"This was a huge win for our program." Said Sayers, "Montana Western is a team that will be in Sioux City, they're that good, and I hope we're right there with them.They have a couple of phenomenal players, and some players around them that do great things."

Tuesday's game was a back-and-forth, physical, and intense matchup between the two best teams in the Frontier Conference. The two teams battled for 40 minutes, leaving fans of both teams on the edges of their seats. Tuesday's championship bout saw the game tied five times over the course of the night, and featured 11 different lead changes.

Carroll came out swinging. The Saints got the quick start that they were looking for, opening the game on a 6-0 run. They would go on to lead the entirety of the opening quarter, but not without resistance. Western pulled within two points multiple times in the opening quarter. Brynley Fitzgerald did the majority of the scoring for the Bulldogs, posting nine points in the first frame. Five points each from Maddie Geritz (Boise, Idaho / R-SR) and Sienna Swannack (Nine Mile Falls, Wash. / GR) would give Carroll a one point lead after one, 18-17.

After picking up two quick fouls in the opening frame, Head Coach Rachelle Sayers made the decision to keep Jamie Pickens (Helena, Mont. / SR) on the bench for the entirety of the second quarter. Neither team was particularly good offensively in the second, combining for just 19 total points. With Pickens out of the game, the Bulldogs ramped up the pressure. They trapped every ball screen and forced the Saints ball-handlers and shooters into some sticky situations. Carroll shot just 25 percent from the field (3-12) in the second quarter. Western would carry a 28-26 lead into the halftime break.

The game as a whole was tightly contested throughout, but the second half left little room for error. Western grabbed the largest lead of the third quarter early on, at just three points. But a rested Pickens returned to the floor and caused problems for the Bulldogs. Pickens scored eight points in the third quarter, but the Saints would still find themselves trailing by one point entering the final quarter of play.

With eight minutes remaining in the game, Kamden Hilborn (Clancy, Mont. / GR) made a layup to give Carroll a lead that they would not relinquish. Western managed to keep the game within one score for the majority of the fourth quarter, but Carroll would finally break things open near the end of the game. Swannack would connect with Pickens for a layup with 38 seconds remaining to put the Saints up by six points. A tense 30 seconds ensued for Saints fans, but time would run out on a Bulldog comeback and the Saints would walk away with the 53-47 win.

"Defensively, tonight was a battle, and it was super physical." Said Sayers. "Our bench was huge tonight in getting us to that second half. We had some foul trouble, but I thought everyone stepped up and played some huge minutes."

The win gave Carroll its fourth win over the No. 15 Bulldogs on the year, and its fourth conference tournament title in the last six seasons. The win also secured the Frontier Conference auto-bid to the 2023 NAIA National Tournament, though the Saints' body of work and No. 11 ranking would have gotten them in regardless.

Even with limited minutes, Pickens was dominant once again for the Saints. She finished with a game-high 18 points alongside eight rebounds.

"This is a very special team." Said Pickens. "We have a ton of trust in each other, and we have complete trust in our coaching staff. This win is definitely a momentum-builder leading into the NAIA Tournament, and we are definitely excited to be hosting."

Sienna Swannack was vital to the Saints winning effort. The fifth-year player was all over the court in the absence of Pickens, and her veteran leadership paid dividends in the big game. She finished with 11 points, five assists, and three steals. Kyndall Keller (Havre, Mont. / JR) pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, and sealed the victory with a pair of free throws.

The Carroll defense did an outstanding job in slowing down the Frontier Conference's leading scorer, Brynley Fitzgerald. After scoring nine first quarter points, she finished with 14 as the only Bulldog to post double-digits in points. Jordan Sweeney scored nine points and pulled down six rebounds.

"These guys just know how to win." Said Sayers. "They wanted this. They wanted both the regular season and tournament titles after being denied that last year."

"I'm just extremely proud of this group."

Carroll will now await the results of the NAIA Tournament selection show on Thursday evening to find out which three teams will be making the trip to Helena and Carroll's host pod in the opening rounds of the 2023 NAIA Women's Basketball Championship.

Visit www.carrollathletics.com later this week for more information on the upcoming NAIA tournament pod, as well as to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.