Women's Basketball | 01/04/25 | 10:52 AM

HELENA, Mont. - The Calendar year has flipped, and with it comes a fresh Frontier Conference Basketball regular season. Both the Carroll Men and Women will begin their pursuit of a Frontier title this afternoon, as they host Providence at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Carroll College PE Center.

Saturday afternoon's conference openers feature plenty of intrigue, with both the final contests between the Fighting Saints and the Argonauts on each side of the action having carried plenty of weight.

On the Women's side of the action, Carroll and Providence met in the Semifinals of the 2024 NAIA Women's Basketball Championship, the final game of an absurd five meetings between the schools last season. A hard-fought battle ensued in a historic meeting of two Montana schools in the semifinal, and it was the Argos who would emerge victorious, 58-53.

Both schools are coming off of the best seasons in their respective histories, and the pair were picked at the top of the Frontier Preseason Poll. Providence was a unanimous No. 1, with Carroll in second. 

The Argos retain the majority of last year's runner-up team, while the Saints have learned how to play without last year's NAIA Player of the Year, Jamie Pickens, along with several well-experienced seniors.

Willa Albrecht (Billings, Mont. / R-JR) has shouldered the load offensively for the Saints this season, and the multi-time Frontier Offensive Player of the Week will look to keep things rolling in the league's only ranked matchup this weekend. The No. 21-ranked Fighting Saints will look to upend the No. 5-ranked Argos, similar to the start of the 2024 conference slate in Great Falls last year.

James Lang (Portland, Ore. / R-JR) hit one of the most memorable shots in Carroll history in the semifinal of last season's Frontier Conference Championship. His near-half courter as time expired capped one of the most dramatic come-from-behind wins you'll ever see, and put an end to the Argos season.

Carroll won all four of the matchups between the pair of schools last season, including the improbable comeback at the conference tournament, but both sides look wildly different heading into this year's opener.

In total, 20 different players will be making their Frontier Conference debut between the two schools (CC - 6, UP - 14). The Providence roster features only a handful of players returning from last season's squad, while the Saints have seen plenty of turnover of their own.

Head Coach Dan Pearson will coach his first Frontier Conference game of his career, looking to start the season on the right foot and prove the rest of the league wrong. The Saints were picked to finish last in the Frontier Conference Coaches' Poll, while the Providence Men were selected fifth. 

Tip off for the Women is slated for 2 p.m. with the men following at 4 p.m.

Both games will be broadcast on Helena SWX channels, and a simulcast can be found online HERE.

Catch Voice of the Saints, Nick Dietzen, and legendary Carroll Coach Gary Turcott call the action live on Rewind 94.9 FM, or online HERE.

Live stats for the Women can be found HERE, and Men's stats 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.

FOLLOW THE FIGHTING SAINTS
Facebook: @carrollcollegeathletics
Instagram: @cc_saints
X: @CCsaints
#MarchOn