By HELENA, Mont. – The No. 2 Seed Carroll College Women’s Basketball team dug out of an 11 point hole at the half to beat No. 7-Seeded Jamestown 73-60 in the Second Round of the 2023 NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship – Presented by Ballogy in Helena.
The Fighting Saints (27-5, 14-1) rallied in a big way on Wednesday behind veteran leadership and a healthy home-court advantage to beat Jamestown (22-9, 16-6).
PE Center pandemonium. The only accurate description of the atmosphere after a second half explosion from the Saints.
Jamie Pickens (Helena, Mont. / SR) started her big night with a quick layup to open the scoring on the opening possession. From that point forward, however, the Jimmies would take control. Jamestown would hit four first quarter three pointers, and would extend a lead as large as seven points. Kyndall Keller (Havre, Mont. / JR) hit a three pointer of her own to bring the score to 16-12 in favor of the Jimmies heading into the second.
Again, Jamestown hit four three point shots in the second quarter. The Jimmies shot 46.7 percent from the field in the frame, and held Carroll to just 31.3 percent from the floor. Jamestown spread the scoring around, while Carroll’s 11 second quarter points all came from Pickens. Jamestown rolled into the halftime break with a 34-23 lead.
Carroll, not used to trailing at half, let alone trailing by double digits, would respond in a huge way in the third quarter.
After a Hannah DeMars layup on Jamestown’s first possession, it would be all Carroll the remainder of the game. Pickens, Keller, and Kamden Hilborn (Clancy, Mont. / GR) led a Carroll charge, and with four and a half minutes remaining in the quarter Maddie Geritz (Boise, Idaho / SR) put the Saints back on top for the first time since the early stages of the game. The two teams would exchange the lead for the remainder of the frame. Erica Nessan (Spokane, Wash / SR) hit the biggest shot of her Carroll career, knocking down a three to even things up at 52 heading into the final quarter.
Genesis Wilkinson (Newman Lake, Wash. / SR) scored four points to open the fourth quarter and start the Carroll run. Twice Jamestown would manage to trim the lead to one point, but Carroll would not be denied. Sienna Swannack (Nine Mile Falls, Wash. / GR) buried a three pointer from the top of the arc to put the Saints up 10 with just under three minutes remaining, and effectively put the game on ice. Carroll would win 73-60.
Even with a sluggish start, Jamie Pickens performed. The Senior scored a game-high 28 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Kyndall Keller went a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line and finished with 16 points. Maddie Geritz added 10 points of her own.
Jamestown’s Kia Tower went 5-8 from distance, and led the Jimmies with 22 points. GPAC Player of the Year, Hannah DeMars, finished with 16 points.
Carroll advances to Sioux City, Iowa for the NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship round of 16 for the second consecutive year. The Saints will square off with No. 6 Seeded Dakota Wesleyan on Tuesday, March 13 at 2 p.m. MST.
Visit www.carrollathletics.com for a preview of that game, and to stay up to date with everything going in Carroll Athletics.
