Bulldogs Fall to No. 5 Carroll College (Picture Gallery)

(Press release Montana Western)

The Montana Western Bulldogs (7-2, 1-1) dropped their first meeting with No. 5 Carroll College Saints (11-2, 2-0), 60-49.

The Saints outscored the Bulldogs in the first quarter by just two points, 14-12. In the second, the teams matched field goals, with five each, and each scored two buckets apiece from the arc—until the final second of the half when Carroll's Sienna Swannack hit an off-balance 3-pointer.

With a three-point lead at the beginning of the third quarter (29-26), Carroll capitalized on their momentum throughout the rest of the game, attacking the Bulldogs with a strong inside-out game. The Saints shot 54 percent from the field in the third (7-13), while the Bulldogs only matched the Saints with five shots (5-13) from the field.

The Bulldogs trailed by seven points to start the fourth quarter, 45-38. Montana Western struggled to hold Carroll in the paint—Saints' forward Jamie Pickens scored six of her 18 points in the fourth.

"Carroll is really good and has a variety of kids that are excellent individual defenders," coach Woolley said. They took us out of our offense and I didn't have a very good plan to attack them on the offensive end."

Inside the Box Score

• Both teams were seven of 10 from the foul line.

• The Saints had twice as many rebounds as the Bulldogs, 48 and 24, respectively.

• Shainy Mack led the Bulldogs with 13 points.

• Brynley Fitzgerald grabbed six rebounds for Montana Western.

• Lilly Gopher and Mesa King each had two assists for the Bulldogs.

• Jamie Pickens led the Saints with a double-double, 18 points and 12 rebounds.