CHANDLER, Ariz. - The No. 21-ranked Carroll Women's Basketball team dropped its final game of the 2024 Cactus Classic 59-53 to No. 19 Arizona Christian on Saturday afternoon at the Coyote Center.

The Fighting Saints (6-5) were out-shot 24-6 at the free throw line, with 19 of the 24 attempts falling for the Firestorm (12-2).

Carroll came out swinging in the first quarter, with Willa Albrecht (Billings, Mont. / R-JR) scoring six, and every other starter scoring at least once. The full-team production, paired with holding ACU to a 3-13 showing in the opener gave the Saints a 14-10 lead after one.

Arizona Christian's Alyssa Alvarez got things going in the second quarter, knocking down a pair of three's en route to 10 points in the frame. The Firestorm closed the half on a 7-0 run over the final three minutes and took a 28-26 lead into the half.

Carroll dominated the glass in the third quarter, out-rebounding ACU 15-11, but were unable to convert the opportunities into points. The Saints went just 5-21 from the floor (23.8 percent) in the frame and ACU would double its lead to four heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter lacked any rhythm, as the officials blew the whistle on nearly every possession. After just one free throw attempted by either team in the third quarter, Arizona Christian would keep the game out of reach following 14 fourth quarter free throw attempts, 11 of which were made. Kyndall Keller (Havre, Mont. / R-SR) and Addi Ekstrom (Bozeman, Mont. / SR) each scored five in the fourth, but the effort would come up just short in the 59-53 loss.

ACU's Alvarez led all scorers, finishing with 30 points including an 11-11 performance the the stripe. 

Albrecht and Keller each had near double-doubles, with Albrecht scoring a team-high 15 points and seven rebounds, while Keller added 14 points and nine boards.

Isabelle Erickson (Broadview, Mont. / R-JR) finished with a team-high 10 rebounds in the loss.

The Saints will head home for a quick Christmas break, before returning to action at the PE Center next week as they host a pair of Canadian schools in Alberta-Augustana and Keyano.

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

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