Addi & Willa turn out the Lights

HELENA, Mont. – The No. 20-ranked Carroll Women’s Basketball team kept their winning ways moving, picking up a 58-53 win over MSU-Northern at the Carroll College PE Center.

The Fighting Saints (16-7, 8-2) saw an early lead shrivel, but managed to buckle down in crunch time to earn their 18th-straight win over the Skylights.

Bound and determined to right the first half wrongs from the first meeting between the schools last month in Havre, Carroll came out firing on all cylinders in the opening quarter. Reigning Frontier Offensive Player of the Week, Willa Albrecht (Billings, Mont. / R-JR) paced the Saints with seven in the frame, while both Addi Ekstrom (Bozeman, Mont. / SR) and Meagan Karstetter (Moses Lake, Wash. / JR) added six each. All said and done, Carroll went into the second quarter leading 22-8, following an 81 percent shooting effort in the first (9-11).

The momentum slowed mightily in the second, as the Saints struggled to hit shots with regularity. Ekstrom’s five points in the frame was the lone bright spot in an otherwise forgettable frame. The Saints went just 4-15 from the floor, allowing Northern to chip into the lead at 31-20 heading into the half.

Again, Carroll was bit by one extremely poor shooting quarter in the third. The Saints made only two field goals in the frame, but managed to keep their lead thanks in large part to an 8-10 effort from the stripe. Albrecht continued her stellar play, accounting for nine of the team’s 12 points, while Canzas HisBadHorse and Shyan Krass combined for 14 points for the Skylights to help them draw within six, 43-37.

Northern’s Becky Melcher hit a pair of three’s in the final frame, leading the Skylights with 10 points. Her second three of the quarter came with just under two minutes remaining, cutting the Carroll lead to just one point. The Carroll Women remained composed, however, with Ekstrom burying a three of her own on the return trip down the court to put the game out of reach. Albrecht and Karstetter combined for five made free throws in the closing seconds, and Carroll would escape with the 58-53 win to stay alone at the top of the Frontier mountain.

Willa Albrecht celebrated her Birthday in style, leading all players with a game-high 23 points in the win. Ekstrom had one of her better scoring nights of recent, adding 16 points and four assists, while Karstetter rounded out the double-digit Saints scorers with 11 and six boards.

Northern’s Becky Melcher led her team with 18 points, while Canzas HisBadHorse posted an 11 point, 10 rebound double-double in the loss.

The Saints will begin the final loop through the Frontier slate on Saturday with a road test at Montana Western at 2 p.m.

Visit www.carrollathletics.com for a preview of that game, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.