BUTTE, Mont. - The third-seeded Carroll Women's Basketball team fell in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Frontier Conference Tournament, dropping a physical bout to the sixth-seed Montana Western, 65-56 on Saturday afternoon at the Butte Civic Center.

Knocking down shots is the name of the game, and the Fighting Saints (19-10, 17-5) simply didn't do enough of it in their first quarterfinal loss since 2017.

Two of the league's better defenses duked it out in a low-scoring affair, but the Bulldogs emerged victorious thanks in large part to a 50 percent (24-48) shooting night to Carroll's 27 percent (18-65) effort from the floor.

The shooting struggles started early for Carroll, as they trailed by three after one quarter, going just 3-14 from the field. While going 0-5 frame range, the Saints stayed within striking distance thanks to five late frame free throws.

Kenzie Allen (Grantsville, Utah / JR), the league's Co-Newcomer of the Year, and Meagan Karstetter (Moses Lake, Wash. / SR) each poured in six second quarter points for the Saints as they were able to knot things up at 25-25 at the break. 

First Team All-Conference guard Willa Albrecht (Billings, Mont. / R-SR) found herself in foul trouble early, playing just 11 total minutes in the first half, while Carroll dominated the turnover margin. The Saints tallied eight first half steals, turning over the Bulldogs 10 times in total in the half, but couldn't find a way to turn the opportunities to points.

With Carroll leading by three, Albrecht picked up her fourth foul at the midway point of the third, and her subsequent departure from the court opened the door for the Bulldogs to make a run. An 18-4 run over the back-half of the frame gave Western complete control heading into the fourth. Bailee Sayler was the difference-maker, going 5-5 for 12 points to give Western a 45-34 lead.

Shots finally began to fall for the Saints in the final frame, as Carroll put up 22 points in their highest-scoring quarter of the night, but they couldn't come away with the necessary stops down the stretch. After a slow start to the game, Freshman of the Year Jillian Kanduch (Miles City, Mont. /FR) led the Saints with seven points over the final ten minutes, but Western's Sayler iced out the win with 10 points, going 6-7 from the stripe.

Allen led the Saints with 12 points, six rebounds, and four steals in the loss, while Karstetter and Albrecht each added 11 points. 

The Saints will now await hearing their names called as an at-large selection for the NAIA Women's Basketball Championship, hopeful that their body of work this season rewards them with a favorable seed.