Bruins fall 58-34 at No. 24 Carroll

Box Score
Frontier Standings

HELENA, Mont. -- No. 24 Carroll College forced 21 turnovers and used a decisive third-quarter surge to defeat Bellevue University 58-34 in Frontier Conference women's basketball action Saturday evening at the P.E. Center.

With the loss, Bellevue falls to 6-8 overall and 2-7 in Frontier play. Carroll, coming off a 65-63 upset of fourth-ranked Dakota State on Friday, improves to 9-6 on the season and 7-2 in the conference.

Carroll held statistical advantages across multiple areas, outscoring the Bruins 26-5 in points off turnovers and 26-14 in points in the paint while holding a 39-34 edge on the glass. The Saints shot 36.8 percent from the field, 22.7 percent (5-for-22) from 3-point range and 73.3 percent (11-for-15) at the free-throw line. Bellevue finished at 27.3 percent shooting, 23.8 percent (5-for-21) from long range and 41.7 percent (5-for-12) at the stripe.

The Bruins were led by Karoline Ellison, who totaled 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting along with five rebounds. Joy Beran added seven points and six boards, and Drasoni Kyles chipped in four points and a team-high three assists. Zakiyyah Muhammad finished with three points and a team-best seven rebounds, while Jhanel Coleman, Emma Russell and Dru Zoucha each hit a 3-pointer.

Carroll was paced by Willa Albrecht's game-high 22 points, as she went 9-for-20 from the floor and 3-for-9 from beyond the arc, adding five rebounds and three steals. Kenzie Allen contributed nine points, four assists, and two steals, and Jillian Kanduch also scored nine points with four rebounds and two steals. Meagan Karstetter added five points, four boards, and three assists, and Ava Oakland pulled down a team-high six rebounds.

How It Happened

Bellevue struck first as Jhanel Coleman connected from beyond the arc at the 8:16 mark of the opening quarter to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead. Carroll answered with a 3-pointer by Albrecht, but a long-range shot from Dru Zoucha and a driving layup by Beran helped BU build an 8-5 advantage with 4:43 left in the period.

The Saints closed the first quarter with a 6-0 run, getting layups from Kanduch and Gracie Millimen and a jumper from Allen to take an 11-8 lead after 10 minutes.

Carroll extended its lead early in the second quarter as Albrecht buried a 3-pointer and Oakland scored inside to make it 16-8. Bellevue responded with its best offensive stretch of the night, scoring six straight on a layup from Muhammad and back-to-back baskets from Ellison to cut the deficit to 16-14 at the 6:00 mark.

After the teams traded scores and a 3-pointer from Kyles pulled BU within 20-20 with 3:25 remaining in the half, Carroll again closed the quarter strong. Four free throws and a 3-pointer from Kanduch, followed by two late layups from Albrecht, fueled a 9-1 run that sent the Saints to the locker room with a 29-21 advantage.

Carroll broke the game open in the third quarter, limiting Bellevue to five points in the period. The Saints opened the half with 10 unanswered points as Albrecht scored twice at the rim, Allen converted a layup in transition, and Isabelle Erickson added a jumper and a layup to push the lead to 39-21 with 4:32 left in the quarter. Beran scored twice in the lane, and Muhammad added a free throw, but Carroll used four more free throws in the final three minutes to carry a 45-26 cushion into the fourth.

Kyles hit a free throw and Ellison scored in the paint early in the final period, but Carroll continued to capitalize on BU miscues and empty possessions. A free throw from Karstetter, two baskets by Albrecht and a jumper by Albrecht stretched the margin to 50-29, and Albrecht later drilled another 3-pointer to make it 53-30 with 4:22 to play.

Russell answered with a 3-pointer and Ellison added a free throw to bring the Bruins within 56-34, but Sadie Smith's layup with 1:15 remaining capped the scoring as the Saints closed out the 58-34 victory.

Top Performers

Bellevue University

Karoline Ellison: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1-for-2 3FG

Joy Beran: 7 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal

Drasoni Kyles: 4 points, 3 assists, 1 3-pointer

Zakiyyah Muhammad: 3 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals

Jhanel Coleman: 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 3-pointer

Emma Russell: 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 3-pointer

Dru Zoucha: 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 3-pointer

Carroll College

Willa Albrecht: 22 points, 9-for-20 FG, 3-for-9 3FG, 5 rebounds, 3 steals

Kenzie Allen: 9 points, 3-for-3 FG, 1-for-1 3FG, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

Jillian Kanduch: 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

Meagan Karstetter: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists

Ava Oakland: 2 points, team-high 6 rebounds, 1 steal

Isabelle Erickson: 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

Inside the Numbers

Carroll converted 21-of-57 shots from the field (36.8 percent), while Bellevue went 12-for-44 (27.3 percent).

The Saints held a 39-34 rebounding advantage and limited the Bruins to six offensive boards.

Carroll turned 21 BU turnovers into 26 points; Bellevue managed just five points off the Saints' nine turnovers.

Carroll outscored BU 26-14 in points in the paint.

Bellevue's bench provided a 14-9 scoring edge, but Carroll held advantages at the free-throw line (11-for-15 to 5-for-12) and in steals (11-4).

Up Next

The Bruins will travel to Dickinson, N.D., on Friday, Jan. 9, for a 6 p.m. (CT) contest at Dickinson State University.