BILLINGS, Mont. – The No. 6-ranked Carroll Women's Basketball team picked up another big Frontier Conference win on Thursday night, beating (RV) Rocky Mountain College 63-56 in Billings.
 
The Fighting Saints (13-3, 4-0) continue to stack wins in the heart of the season, powering past RV Rocky (11-5, 0-4) in a resilient effort.
 
After a nervy start to the game's opening quarter, Carroll settled into things and slowed down a Rocky team that came out firing. Gracee Lekvold scored seven first quarter points for the Battlin' Bears. Jamie Pickens (Helena, Mont. / GR) didn't have a huge impact on the scoreboard, but pulled down a highly impressive eight opening frame rebounds.
 
Neither team seemed to be able to find the net in the second quarter. Carroll shot just 35 percent from the field in the frame (5-14), but somehow doubled the buckets from the Bears (2-12). Rocky did their damage from the free throw line, however, and Carroll would lead at the break, 29-27.
 
A 12-3 run from Rocky early in the third quarter would lead to a seven-point deficit for the Saints. Eight points each from Pickens and Willa Albrecht (Billings, Mont. / R-JR) and a big-time corner three from Erica Nessan (Spokane, Wash. / GR) would help Carroll take a 50-47 lead into the fourth.
 
The fourth quarter was the Maddie Geritz show. Geritz (Boise, Idaho / GR) was a force down low, scoring 10 fourth quarter points, while pulling down two boards and a block to help close out the fifth-straight win for the Saints.
 
Geritz led all scorers, finishing her night with 18 points and six rebounds. Jamie Pickens posted another double-double, finishing with 16 points and 11 boards.
 
Gracee Lekvold also finished with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead the Bears in the losing effort.
 
Carroll will turn their attention towards a Saturday showdown with MSU-Northern at 2 p.m. in Helena.
 
Visit www.carrollathletics.com for a preview of that game, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.