February 28, 2026

BUTTE, Mont. — Sixth-seed Montana Western used a dominant third quarter and a double-double from Keke Davis to pull away from third-seed Carroll (Mont.) 65-56 on Saturday afternoon in the Frontier Conference women’s postseason tournament quarterfinal at the Butte Civic Center.

The Bulldogs (14-13 overall record) became the second lower seed on the same day to advance to Sunday's semifinals, where they will face No. 2 seed Montana Tech at 2:30 p.m. (Mountain Time).  No. 5 seed MSU-Northern defeated No. 4 seed Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 82-74 earlier Saturday.

Bailee Sayler led Montana Western with a game-high 22 points and nine rebounds, providing key scoring bursts on the perimeter and at the free-throw line. Davis added 11 points and 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, while Isabella Lund chipped in 16 points as the Bulldogs advanced behind a balanced frontcourt effort and efficient shooting.

Montana Western (65 points on 50 percent shooting) seized control out of halftime after the teams went to the break tied 25-25. The Bulldogs outscored Carroll 20-9 in the third quarter, turning a tight, possession-by-possession game into a double-digit advantage.

Sayler drilled a 3-pointer midway through the third to help spark the surge, and Lund’s jumper with 3:05 left in the quarter stretched the lead to 39-32. Sayler then finished a late driving layup to send Montana Western to the fourth quarter up 45-34.

Carroll (19-10 overall record) struggled to match that efficiency, finishing 18-for-65 from the field (27.7 percent) and 3-for-20 from 3-point range. The Saints stayed in contention at the foul line — hitting 17-of-19 free throws (89.5 percent) — and forced 16 Montana Western turnovers with active defense that produced 10 steals.

But the Bulldogs’ 44-31 rebounding edge and 24-for-48 shooting night, including 4-for-12 from beyond the arc, repeatedly blunted Carroll’s attempts to claw back. Ava Bellach hit an early 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs in front 7-4 in the first quarter, and Lund closed the frame with two free throws for a 14-11 lead. Carroll responded in the second, and after several exchanges, Davis beat the halftime buzzer with a jumper to knot the score at 25-25, setting up the decisive second-half stretch.

The Bulldogs continued to build on their third-quarter momentum early in the fourth. Tayva Phillips scored on a layup 9 seconds into the period for a 47-34 lead, and Davis later finished inside with 4:03 remaining to push the margin to 59-49. Carroll mounted a late push in the final minutes, but Montana Western closed it out at the line, with Sayler knocking down two free throws with 6 seconds left to seal the 65-56 final.

Kenzie Allen paced Carroll with 12 points, six rebounds and four steals, while Willa Albrecht added 11 points and two offensive boards. Despite the Saints’ late fourth-quarter scoring — they posted 22 points in the final quarter — the third-quarter drought proved too much to overcome against a Montana Western team that controlled the glass and the tempo in a key postseason victory.

Carroll awaits to hear from the NAIA national office next week if they will receive an at-large invitation to the national tournament.