HAVRE, Mont. - The No. 8-ranked Carroll College Women's Basketball team continued their winning ways on Thursday, rolling to a 59-45 victory over MSU-Northern at the Armory Gymnasium.

The Fighting Saints (18-4, 9-1) put an emphatic cap on the final game of their second loop through the Frontier Conference schedule, picking up an impressive 14-point win over the Skylights (10-12, 4-5).

The opening quarter was essentially the Carroll roster playing against Northern's Riley Kehr. Kehr's three three-pointers were the only points for the Skylights in the frame, but it was enough to keep the Skylights within striking distance. Addi Ekstrom (Bozeman, Mont. / JR) poured in seven first quarter points and the Saints would lead 15-9 after one.

A poor shooting effort in the second quarter by the Saints would allow Northern to hang around, even though it was clear that Carroll was in control. The Saints shot just 35 percent from the floor in the frame, but Jamie Pickens (Helena, Mont. / GR) scored six points to bring her total to 10 first half points, and Carroll would carry a 27-20 lead into the halftime break.

Carroll began to pull away in the third quarter, as Ekstrom added eight more points to her tally, leading a much-improved 56 percent effort from the floor for Carroll. The Saints heavily out-rebounded the Skylights in the third (9-3), and opened up a 50-32 lead heading into the final ten minutes.

With the game in control, some of the younger Saints got their chance to shine in the fourth, and Carroll cruised its ninth conference win of the year.

Ekstrom had her best performance of the season, leading the Saints in scoring with 15 points on 6-10 shooting.

Double-double machine Jamie Pickens, to the surprise of no one, added her 16th double-double of the year with a 13-point, 11-rebound performance, while her post partner, Maddie Geritz (Boise, Idaho / GR), added 11 points of her own.

Northern's Riley Kehr led the Skylights with 16 points in the loss.

The final lap of the Frontier tour begins on Saturday with Montana Western coming to the PE Center for a 2 p.m. showdown 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.