January 2, 2026

HELENA, Mont. – No. 4 ranked Dakota State (S.D.) battled through four tightly contested quarters but came up just short Friday evening, falling 65–63 to No. 24 ranked Carroll (Mont.) in the Frontier Conference and battle of NAIA's Top 25 teams at the PE Center.  The Trojans led by seven points at halftime and remained within one possession throughout the final minute, but Carroll's third-quarter surge proved to be the difference as the Saints edged out the win.

Despite trailing by nine points mid-way through the fourth quarter, the Trojans roared back and knotted the game at 63-63 after Tabor Teel's basket with ten seconds remaining.  The Saints answered on the next possession with a layup by Willa Albrecht at the buzz for a 65-63 victory.

Dakota State's nine-game winning streak came to an end, falling to 12-2 overall record and 7-1 Frontier Conference record.  Carroll improved to 8-6 overall record and 6-2 record in the league.

After CC leading 13–12 after the first quarter, the Trojans gained momentum in the second period, outscoring the Saints 17–9 to take a 29–22 halftime lead.

Carroll responded in the third quarter with its best stretch of the night, shooting 75 percent from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point range. The Saints scored 25 points in the period, flipping the game and taking a 47–43 advantage into the fourth quarter.

The highlight came in the third quarter where Teel became the 25^th player to surpass 1,000 career points in Dakota State women's basketball program history.  She hit a free-throw with 3:01 on the clock for her 1,000^th career point to give DSU a 41-40 lead.

Dakota State answered in the final frame, scoring 20 points and trimming the deficit to two in the closing moments.  Carroll led as many as nine points at 59-50 with 5:02 remaining, while Dakota State stormed back with a monstrous 13-4 scoring run to knot the game in closing seconds.

Teel hit a basket with 10 seconds to go, tying the game at 63-63 before the Saints hit the buzzer beater by Albrecht for the two-point victory.

Teel led Dakota State with 17 points and game-high 15 rebounds, recording a double-double while anchoring the Trojans. Caitlin Dyer added 10 points, while Bria Wasmund and Mackenzi Simmons each scored nine points. Wasmund contributed four assists and two steals.

Jillian Kanduch led the Saints with 24 points on her 7-of-13 field goals and 7-of-8 free-throws.  Albrecht added 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists.  Meagan Karstetter scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds.

DSU finished the game shooting 41.5 percent from the field (22-of-53 field goals) and 32.3 percent from beyond the arc (10-of-31 3-pointers), while Carroll shot 49.0 percent overall (25-of-51 field goals) and 41.7 percent from three-point range (5-of-12 3-pointers).

The Trojans held advantages in second-chance points (8–0) and bench scoring (12–8), but Carroll capitalized on turnovers, scoring 16 points off turnovers.

Dakota State continues their Frontier Conference action Saturday evening at 6 p.m. (Central Time)/7 p.m. (Mountain time).  The Trojans travel to Fortin Education Center in Billings, Mont., taking on another NAIA's Top 25 opponent, No. 17 Rocky Mountain (Mont.).