HELENA, MONT. – Carroll College used a 14-5 in the third and fourth quarters to open up a seven-point lead, then held off a late rally by Valley City State for a 68-59 win over the Vikings in Frontier Conference Women's Basketball Saturday night in Helena, Montana.

The Vikings are 5-10 overall and 2-9 in the Frontier Conference. Carroll College is 10-6 overall and 8-2 in the conference.

The Vikings got off to another good start, taking a seven-point lead midway through the first quarter. A three-pointer by Abby Aslesen gave Valley City State a 9-2 lead with 5:13 to go in the first quarter. The Saints would get that lead down to four by the end of the quarter with a 6-3 run. A basket inside by Gracie Millimen would make it 12-8 Vikings. Alesen would score seven points in the first quarter as the Vikings led 12-8 after the first ten minutes.

In the second quarter, the Vikings opened an eleven-point lead thanks to a 10-3 run to start the quarter. A jump shot by Alesen made it 19-8 Valley City State. Then Olivia Backus knocked down a three-pointer from the corner to cap the run, making it 22-11 Vikings with 7:25 to go in the first half. The Saints then made their run to get back into the game. A 15-0 run by Carroll College over the next six minutes made it 26-22 Carroll with 1:16 left in the second quarter. The Vikings would score four of the last six points of the quarter to cut the lead to two. Two free throws by Tilda Mauritzson made it 28-26 with 15 seconds to go in the half and that was the score at the break.

The game of runs continued in the third quarter. The Vikings started the second half on a 5-0 run to take the lead back. A three-point play by JayCee Richter capped the run and gave Valley City State a 29-28n lead with 8:57. Then the Saints went on a 7-1 run to regain the lead. A layup by Jillian Kanduch gave Carroll College the lead 33-31 with 6:38 to go in the quarter. In the final 5:18 of the third quarter, there were three ties and two lead changes. A long three-pointer by the Vikings Braaten tied the game at 35-35. Aslesen would score inside to give the Vikings the lead back at 37-35. A three-pointer by Carroll's Willa Albrecht made it 40-37 Saints. The final tie of the quarter came after Braaten hit another long three-pointer to make it 42-42 with 1:21 to go in the quarter. The Saints would end the quarter on a 5-0 run to lead 47-42 after three quarters.

The Saints had an early seven-point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Vikings would come back and cut the lead to one. An 8-2 run by the Vikings over a span of 3:42 seconds would get them within one possession. A basket by Richter made it 58-57 Carroll with 3:24 remaining in the fourth quarter. But the Saints sealed the game by going eight for eight at the free throw line in the final minute to pick up a 68-59 win.

Abby Aslesen led the Vikings with 20 points and eight rebounds. JayCee Richter ha eleven points and six boards. Ellie Braaten had nine points, four rebounds, and four assists and Madison Spacher chipped in seven points.

Up next: The Vikings return home to face Bismarck State College on Friday, January 16^th at the Bubble. Gametime is set for 5:00 p.m.