NAIA Power Carroll, Ranked #8, Defeats Willamette, 58-33, in Exhibition

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, Ore. -- Carroll College (Mont.), ranked #8 in the NAIA Division I National Poll, downed Willamette University, 58-33, in women's basketball action on Monday, Dec. 17 at Cone Field House. It was an exhibition game for the Bearcats, whose record remained at 3-6. The game counted for the Saints, who improved to 8-2 overall.

Willamette competes in NCAA Division III and the Northwest Conference. Carroll is a member of the Frontier Conference.

Hannah Dean scored 14 points for the Saints to lead all players. She was 7 of 12 from the field. She also grabbed a game-high six rebounds and tied for the game lead with three assists. In addition, she blocked two shots and earned one steal. Brittney Johnson provided Carroll with 12 points and hit 5 of 9 field goal attempts. She supplied two assists.

Sienna Swannack of Carroll finished with five points and four rebounds. Taylor Salonen tallied four points to go along with four rebounds and two assists.

For Willamette, Drew Farmer (Jr., PG, Brookings, OR/Brookings-Harbor HS) scored a team-high eight points, while hitting 3 of 4 field goal attempts. She was 1 for 1 on 3-point shots, and provided four rebounds, three assists and one steal.

Britanny Kochenderfer (Sr., G, Klamath Falls, OR/Henley HS/Idaho State Univ.) produced seven points, three rebounds and two steals. Amanda Carpenter (So., G, Breaverton, OR/Sunset HS) added six points, while Kassin Hopkins (Jr., G, Connell, WA/Connell HS/Bellevue College) recorded five points, four boards and two assists.

Carroll took a 6-0 lead with 8:25 left in the first quarter on jumpers by Dean and Christine Denny, plus a layup from Dean to complete the run. Kochenderfer scored Willamette's first points on a jump shot with 8:09 remaininng to cut the margin to 6-2. Carroll answered with a 9-0 run, starting with a 3-pointer by Johnson, to take a 15-2 advantage at the 4:05 mark. Hopkins put through a jump shot for the Bearcats with 3:27 to go. The Saints ended the opening quarter with a 22-10 lead.

Kali Vickery (Sr., G, Glide, OR/Glide HS) of Willamette registered the first basket of the second quarter, before the Saints used a 10-0 run to extended the margin to 32-12. Farmer hit a 3-point shot for WU to stop Carroll's momentum. Swannack tacked on two free throws for the Saints with 27 seconds on the clock, but Hopkins scored on a 3-pointer for Willamette 12 seconds later. Carroll held a 34-18 lead at halftime.

The Saints outscored Willamette 12-2 in the third quarter as Carroll upped its margin to 46-20, with Farmer attaining Willamette's only points. The Bearcats earned a 13-12 scoring edge in the fourth quarter.

Carroll connected on 25 of 50 shots (50.0%) during the game, but made only 4 of 14 three-point attempts (28.6%). The Saints achieved a 29-24 rebounding margin. Willamette was held to 27.7% field goal shooting (13 of 47). The Bearcats converted 5 of 19 shots from 3-point range (26.3%).

Willamette will return to regular season action on Thursday, Dec. 27 at the D3hoops.com Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bearcats will open the tournament against the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at 12 p.m. (PST), before taking on Ohio Northern University on Friday, Dec. 28 at 2 p.m.