Lindsey Branch, UMW Sports Information
DILLON, Mont. – The Montana Western women's basketball (11-8, 3-3) lost in a top-25 contest tonight with the no. 6 ranked Carroll College (15-3, 6-0) after a late surge proved to be too little too late for the Bulldogs.
Shainy Mack and Jordan Sweeney each hit double-digits in the loss, combining for 37 points in the loss.
How It Happened
Carroll was the first to find the hoop, taking a quick 13-4 lead in the first quarter. With 5:47 on the clock, Sweeney struck on a pair of jumpers to get UMW back on their feet. Isabella Lund followed with a layup that she converted into an and one and the Bulldogs were right back in it.
Carroll held a scoring edge over Western and finished by outscoring the Bulldogs 10-4 down the stretch and took a 23-13 lead into the second quarter.
The Bulldogs were stone cold in the second quarter, with Carroll outscoring the Bulldogs 23-8 in the second frame alone. As a team, UMW shot 3-12 from the field on their way to a halftime deficit of 46-23.
A triple from Kyla Momberg sparked a crucial 10-2 scoring run to kick off the second half. Momberg continued to lead the charge, racking up seven points across three minutes.
Despite the impressive run, Carroll's Jamie Pickens would close the quarter with a pair of field goals to take the game to the final frame with the Saints up 65-41.
Western held their ground, outscoring Carroll 21-12 in the final frame but it wasn't enough to overcome the hole dug in the second quarter. The Bulldogs would fall by a final score of 77-62.
Notables
The lack of a scoring presence in the second quarter proved to be the difference maker by the end of the contest. The second quarter saw Carroll overpower Western 23-8 across ten minutes.
Carroll's strong presence in the post proved to be a difference maker in the game as the Saints out-rebounded the Bulldogs 34-26. Carroll also had nine boards on the offensive side of the ball.
Mack led the Bulldogs with 26 points after she made 7-10 shots from the field. She also added a pair of steals.
Sweeney followed with 16 points and three rebounds.
Maddy Moy had a season high of 10 rebounds in tonight's game.
Up Next
Western moves to 11-8 this season with a conference record of 3-3. They are back in action this weekend as they travel to MSU-Northern Saturday Jan. 27 with tip-off at 2p.m. MT.
