(Editor’s Note: Carroll College athletics release)
HELENA — Hannah Dean scored a game-high 23 points and the No. 8 Carroll College Fighting Saints earned a season sweep over Montana State-Northern on Thursday in the PE Center, 58-45.
“They’re a very well coached team and defensively, they’re one of the best teams we play,” Saints coach Rachelle Sayers told Sports 94.9 in her post-game interview. “They’re always changing things. They’re going to try to make you beat them with your worst stuff.”
It pushed the Saints’ (19-7, 11-4 Frontier Conference) winning streak to four.
The ever-reliable Dean shot 8-for-13 from the field and added six rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Christine Denny also cracked double figures for the Saints with 10 points
The Saints held a three-possession lead the majority of the second half, thwarting any Skylights comeback with a strong shooting performance and another stingy defensive game. It’s the second consecutive game the Saints have held an opponent under 50 points.
The Saints were able to figure out and get comfortable against a complex Northern defense. Carroll shot 45 percent from the field, 31 percent from the three-point line and 79 percent from the foul line.
The Skylights were led in scoring by Peyton Kehr, who finished with 11 points.
The Saints host No. 23 Providence on Saturday and will be looking to keep the No. 2 spot in the Frontier Conference firmly in hand. While catching Montana Western may be out of the question, the Saints will be looking to carry as much momentum into the conference postseason as possible during the final three regular season games.
“We can still continue to try to play our best basketball into late February and into March,” Sayers said.”
Notes: Thursday was Saints coach Rachelle Sayers birthday… A crowd of 1,016 was on hand to see the Saints’ win… The game served as Carroll’s Pink Game, raising awareness for cancer… Hannah Dean scored 20 or more points for the sixth time this season.
