Women's Basketball | 03/21/24 | 10:34 AM

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - The No. 6-ranked Carroll Women's Basketball team will take on the Wolf Pack of Loyola (La.) tonight at 7 p.m. in Round of 16 matchup in the 2024 NAIA Women's Basketball Championship at the Tyson Event Center in Sioux City, Iowa this evening.

The Fighting Saints (26-5, 14-1) will meet a semi-familiar opponent tonight in final site play, squaring up with a Wolf Pack (26-4, 15-3) team that they met in the national tournament just two seasons ago.

Thursday night's game will be the second time the two programs have met, with the pair having played a second round game in Louisiana two years ago. The then-three-seeded Saints held off a late run by the sixth-seeded Wolf Pack at their own host site, advancing to Sioux City and starting a run of three-consecutive final site trips.

The 2023-24 Wolf Pack are also a six seed, having knocked off (11) Southeastern (Fla.) 84-78 in Round One before an upset over the No. 3-seed Georgetown (Ky.) 79-74 in Second Round action.

Loyola is a fast-paced, athletic, high-scoring team that is led by Sandra Cannady, who averages 16.8 ppg, and Taylor Thomas, who averages 14.6 ppg. Cannady, Thomas and the rest of the Wolf Pack are one of the nation's best offenses, averaging 76.2 ppg (No. 35).

Tonight's game will be an interesting juxtaposition in styles as Carroll, one of the NAIA's best defenses (56 .2 ppg, No. 12) looks to slow things down.

Getting into a track meet with the Wolf Pack is certainly something the Saints will look to avoid this evening, but should the pace increase, Carroll's 89-point explosion featuring 55 percent shooting in their Round One win should help breed some added confidence.

Carroll enters tonight's game looking to wipe clean last year's Round of 16 loss, where they fell to a hot-handed Dakota State team who eventually advanced to the semifinal. 

A win would provide Carroll with just their second appearance in the NAIA Quarterfinals in program history (2008). To do so, the Saints will likely turn towards their All-American, Jamie Pickens (Helena, Mont. / GR), who has been dominant this season. Pickens enters the night averaging 19.3 ppg and 11.4 rpg, but perhaps more impressively, is second on the team in assists with 70 on the year.

Pickens' front court partner, Maddie Geritz (Boise, Idaho / GR) had a career game in last season's Round of 16, scoring 24 and pulling down eight boards. She'll look to continue her hot-streak at the Tyson Center tonight.

Tonight's game is the night-cap of day one play, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. (MDT) at the Tyson Center, with the winner advancing to a quarterfinal game on Saturday at 2 p.m.

A live stream of each game is available with paid subscription through the NAIA's streaming service HERE.

Catch Voice of the Saints, Nick Dietzen, and Carroll Sports Information Director, Conlan Burk, call the action live from courtside on Rewind 94.9 FM or online HERE.

Live stats can be found HERE.

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