HELENA, Mont. - The No. 21-ranked Carroll College Women's Basketball team got both the new year, and new Frontier season off to a great start, knocking off No. 5 Providence 65-61 in a heavyweight bout at the PE Center.
The Frontier's only two ranked teams did battle to open the 2025 Frontier Conference slate on Saturday, and the Fighting Saints (9-5) gutted out a resilient victory over the Argonauts (9-3) in the biggest NAIA game of the weekend.
It was clear the two teams were familiar with each other from the opening tip. Both sides were aggressive in the opening frame, and while neither side shot the ball particularly well (CC - 31.3 percent, UP - 33.3 percent). The teams combined to shoot 13 free throws in the first quarter, and would head into the second deadlocked at 15-15.
The second quarter was another back-and-forth affair, with neither team able to pull away.
Addi Ekstrom (Bozeman, Mont. / SR) and Providence's Keanna Salave'a each had highly impressive quarters, with Salave'a scoring nine in the frame and Ekstrom dropping 11 points including a 3-5 effort from range. The Argos would hold a slim lead heading into the break, 34-33.
The defense stiffened for both teams in the third quarter, the lowest scoring frame of the afternoon for either team.
Kyndall Keller (Havre, Mont. / R-SR) took control for the Saints, scoring nine points in the frame and the Carroll defense held the Argos to just 21 percent shooting as Carroll took a one-point lead into the final quarter, 46-45.
Midway through the fourth, the Argos found themselves with an eight-point lead and all the momentum. Keller ignited a Carroll comeback with a three-pointer, before
Meagan Karstetter (Moses Lake, Wash. / JR) scored back-to-back buckets inside, trimming the lead to just one point with two minutes to play.
Carroll put together one of the most impressive defensive possessions in recent memory with just under a minute remaining. A
Willa Albrecht (Billings, Mont. / R-JR) block with the clock dwindling would force the Argos into a shot clock violation, and give Carroll a shot at a go-ahead bucket.
Kyndall Keller didn't waste the opportunity, scoring with 37 seconds left to put Carroll ahead 62-61. UP's Salave'a would miss a layup attempt on the Argos' final possession, and Karstetter would seal the deal on the win with a pair of free throws with just seconds left on the clock.
Keller led all players, finishing with a game-high 23 points while adding four assists and a pair of rebounds.
Addi Ekstrom finished with 19 points, including a 5-10 effort from the three-point line to go along with five assists and four boards. Karstetter was great from the floor, scoring 13 points on a highly efficient 5-6 shooting effort.
The Argos were led by Salave'a's 19 points and nine rebounds in the loss, while Ashlee Maldonado finished with eight points and seven rebounds.
Carroll will now turn their attention towards a Thursday night road trip to Dillon for their first of three games against Montana Western.
Visit www.carrollathletics.com for a preview of that game, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.
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