GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The (RV) Carroll College Women's Basketball team opened postseason play with a 58-49 win over Montana Western at the Pacific Steel & Recycling Arena.
 
No stranger to winning in March, it was only fitting that Head Coach Rachelle Sayers' 300^th career win would come in postseason play, as the Fighting Saints (19-10, 10-5) held off a late surge from the Bulldogs (7-21, 2-13) to advance in the Frontier Conference tournament.
 
It was clear that there were some nerves in the opening quarter. As has happened several times this season, the Saints had a rough shooting frame in the first.  The Saints shot just 4-16 from the floor, including a 1-8 frame from range. Western won the rebounding battle, and knocked down five of their six free throw attempts to carry a 15-9 lead into the second quarter.
 
The reset in-between quarters was just what the Saints needed, and the team quickly rounded into form to start the second. Defense led to offense, and the shots started to fall with regularity for the Saints. Kyndall Keller (Havre, Mont. / R-SR), Willa Albrecht (Billings, Mont. / R-JR) and Addi Ekstrom (Bozeman, Mont. / SR) combined for 14 points, and the Saints out-rebounded the Bulldogs 13-6 to flip the script and bring a 27-22 lead into the half.
 
Western's Trinidie Nichols scored six points on a pair of three's in the third quarter, but Albrecht began to take control of the game for the Saints, matching Western's point total with seven in the frame. The stout defensive effort led to a 39-29 lead with one quarter to play.
 
A quick burst from a scrappy Bulldog team near the midway point of the fourth saw the Carroll lead shrink to as little as four points with 4:47 remaining. Senior leader, Addi Ekstrom, responded, however, burying a three right in front of the Carroll bench to grab the momentum back. Meagan Karstetter (Moses Lake, Wash. / JR) and Isabelle Erickson (Broadview, Mont. / R-JR) came up clutch down the stretch, combining for six straight points and some stellar defense to help close out Carroll's 19^th-consecutive win over the Bulldogs.
 
Willa Albrecht had a fantastic game, posting her second-straight double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, all while playing the entirety of the fourth with four fouls.
 
Ekstrom scored a team-high 15 points, while Keller added 10 points and seven boards.
 
The Bulldogs were led by Isabella Lund's game-high 17 points, and a 14 point effort from Nichols in the loss.
 
Carroll will now have a very quick turnaround, playing the No. 2-seed Providence tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. with a trip to the Conference Championship game on the line.
 
Visit www.carrollathletics.com to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.

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