MOOREHEAD, Minn. - The No. 25-ranked Carroll Women's Basketball team dug themselves an early hole, battled back to force an extra frame, but ultimately fell short in a 78-75 overtime loss to Valley City State at Memorial Auditorium on the campus of Concordia College.

The Fighting Saints (18-9, 16-5) will look back at Friday night's loss to the Vikings as a missed opportunity and one that got away, even with their share of struggles over the opening 20 minutes.

Carroll got off to a slow start, going just 4-17 from the floor in the first quarter (23 percent), while the Vikings knocked down shots at a much higher clip (46 percent) to grab a 17-11 lead after one. The Valley City State lead was extended in the second quarter, as the Vikings went 9-13 from the field to tack five more points to their advantage, heading into the break up 39-28.

Things started clicking for the Saints in the third quarter, with the offense finding a rhythm and shots starting to fall. Carroll put up 23 points in an explosive third quarter, but they couldn't find a way to slow down the Vikings who responded with 20 points of their own.

Kennedi Niemann (Cody, Wyo. / R-SO) provided a spark in the fourth, knocking down a pair of three-pointers, and coming away with tough finishes at the rim to help close the gap. Defensively, the Saints tightened the straps, holding the Vikings to their lowest scoring quarter of the night at just 10 points. 

With just under five minutes left, Carroll took their first lead since the game's opening seconds on a Meagan Karstetter (Moses Lake, Wash. / R-SR) layup. Kenzie Allen (Grantsville, Utah / JR) doubled the lead just seconds later, coming away with a steal and score to put Carroll up four with four to play, but VCSU was able to respond.

The Saints found themselves in prime position to steal the comeback win with just seconds remaining, but missed free throws in crunch time would extend the game and force an overtime period tied at 69-69.

Valley City State struck first in overtime, and the Saints were forced to play come-from-behind once again. Twice Carroll would even the score in the overtime period, but they couldn't string together multiple stops to get back in front. 

Down by three with time dwindling, the Saints had one final chance to force a second OT, but Willa Albrecht's (Billings, Mont. / R-SR) three-point attempt in the corner would come up short as the Vikings survived for the win, 78-75.

One bright spot for the Saints in the loss was the play of true freshman Jillian Kanduch (Miles City, Mont.). Kanduch was spectacular all night, leading all scorers with 22 points, while adding four boards and a trio of steals.

Kartstetter went 7-10 from the floor, finishing her night with 15 points. Albrecht added 14 points, six rebounds, and a game-high five blocks. Kenzie Allen finished with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds prior to fouling out in OT, while Niemann added 10 points in her 21 minutes of action.

The Saints will wrap up the '25-26 regular season tomorrow night, taking on Mayville State tomorrow evening a 4 p.m. (MST).