Women's Basketball | 01/06/24 | 9:24 AM

HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College Men's and Women's Basketball teams will both get their first taste of league play this afternoon, as both teams travel to Great Falls for an afternoon double-header at Providence. The Women will start the day at 2 p.m., with the Men's game following at 4 p.m.

Energy around the Basketball offices at Carroll College is at an all-time high, with both sets of Fighting Saints ready to begin their Frontier Conference regular seasons this afternoon at the McLaughlin Center.

While the opponent is shared, the Carroll Men and Women enter this weekend at two different stages of program life.

The Carroll Women (9-3) enter conference play as the No. 5 team in the nation, and will have their first shot at an Argonaut (9-4) team that checks in at No. 16 on the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll.

The Saints are 9-3 on the year, with their three losses coming by a combined eight points, with two of the three losses to teams currently ranked inside the Top-25. The No. 5 ranking is well earned for a Carroll team that returns a large portion of a roster that has gone to two straight NAIA Round of 16 appearances, and has dominated the Frontier slate for the past several years.

Carroll finished 14-1 in conference play last season en route to a Frontier Conference regular season and tournament title, and the team hopes to repeat that performance in 2023-24.

Jamie Pickens (Helena, Mont. / GR) is having a monster season. The senior forward is averaging a team-leading 17.3 points, and 9.3 rebounds per game. 

Pickens will have a fresh challenge this afternoon, matching up with Providence newcomer, Keanna Salave'a. Salave'a, a true freshman, has been outstanding for the Argos in the first half of the year. She leads her team with a 12.0 rebound per game average, and is second on the team in points per game (14.8).

On the Men's side of the action, Saturday's game will be the first Frontier Conference game for Head Coach Ryan Lundgren. Lundgren won't be the only coach making his Frontier debut, as Providence's JC Isakson is also a first time Head Coach in the league, with both hired this past off season.

The Carroll Men are a team that were forced to learn on the fly during the early season. A new coach, new style, and many new faces took a little bit of adjustments and time, but the unit has been much more cohesive as of late, and will look to start the Frontier slate out on the right foot.

Both teams feature a mix of returning talent and fresh faces, and Carroll hopes that their back court tandem of returner, Andrew Cook (Huntington Beach, Calif. / JR) and newcomer, Kendall Moore (Dayton, Ohio / JR) can continue the torrid scoring paces they have set for themselves in the early portion of the schedule. The pair are leading the Saints in scoring, with Cook averaging 18.8 points per contest, and Moore averaging just shy of 15 points per game (14.7).

Tip off for the Women is scheduled for 2 p.m., with the Men following at 4 p.m., and both games this afternoon will be streamed live through the Providence YouTube page HERE.

Catch Carroll Sports Information Director, Conlan Burk, and Carroll Hall of Famer, Gary Turcott call the action live on Rewind 94.9 FM, or online HERE.

Live Stats for the Women can be found HERE, and live stats for the Men HERE.

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