(Editor's note: Carroll College athletics release)
HELENA -- The Carroll College women's basketball team opened up their season with a 61-45 loss to the University of Calgary on Sunday in the PE Center.
The Saints had plenty of shots, but couldn't convert at a high clip. Calgary pressured every possession and the Carroll (0-1) could not find its rhythm or convert its open shots. The Saints shot just 28 percent from the field, while an efficient Dinos team shot 54 percent.
"They're a great team," Saints coach Rachelle Sayers said. "They obviously look like a team that has been playing for a couple months and has seven or eight games under their belt. They're well coached. We just could not get anything going offensively. I thought the pressure made us uncomfortable."
Calgary opened the game with the first seven points before Christine Denny got the Saints their first points of the season. Denny led Carroll on Sunday with 12 points, eight rebounds and four steals, but the Saints couldn't string together big offensive runs.
Calgary held an 18-8 lead after the first quarter and outscored the Saints each quarter, until the Saints won the final quarter, 23-20.
"I thought the girls battled in the second half," Sayers said. "I thought they did a great job of continuing to compete and battle. That shows that obviously they are competitive and they didn't like the results either. This is a long season. This game doesn't define us, but it certainly shows us where we have to improve. It's a great game for us to have."
Eleven Saints saw time on Sunday, as Carroll looked to find production and gel with its units.
Calgary had two players crack double figures. Erin McIntosh led all scorers with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Reyna Crawford joined her with 14 points.
The Carroll defense forced 27 turnovers, while recording 20 themselves.
Next week, the Saints host College of Idaho during the team's annual Field Trip game on Oct. 24.
