The Carroll College women aren't exactly known for their free-throw shooting.

But Thursday night against Montana Tech, the Saints hit clutch foul shots down the stretch to drop the Orediggers 51-47 and snap a five-game losing skid.

“I think the kids just refused to lose that one,” first-year Saints coach Rachelle Sayers said.

Although they connected on just 58.3 percent of their free throws in the game, the Saints (11-15, 4-9) canned seven of their final eight from the stripe to put the game away. Carroll freshman Kalee Junkermier said free throws, the Saints' Achilles' heel for much of the season, have been a point of emphasis in past weeks.

“We've been working on them a lot, not just in practice but on our own time,” said Junkermier, who finished with four rebounds and a steal. “All of our percentages are way up from where they were at the beginning of the season.”

Torrie Cahill and Jeni Guertin hit back-to-back bank shots to break a 45-all tie with a minute remaining. After Tabitha Tomlinson's basket on the other end, on Tech's third attempt of the possession, Cahill was quickly fouled with 4.3 seconds on the clock. The junior sank her first attempt, before waiting what seemed like an eternity between shots. With the pep band playing the school fight song and the P.E. Center crowd on its feet, Cahill remained cool through two timeouts and made her final free throw for her team-high 17th point of the game. Seniors Guertin and Amy Allen also finished in double figures, with 13 and 14 points, respectively.

“Amy Allen and Jen Guertin demanded the ball, took it to the hole hard and scored, Sayers said. “They wanted the ball and they willed us to a win tonight.”

With the clock ticking on their careers, the seniors were determined to win their second-to-last home game. Allen took over midway through the second half, hitting a 3-pointer with 8:47 left. She had seven points from there and scored 10 total after being held to four points prior to halftime. Although Guertin was just 5 for 11 from the field and 3 for 8 from the stripe, she dominated on the defensive end of the physical game with four boards — three of them defensive rebounds — and two blocks and two steals.

“It's good to see them (Allen and Guertin) finally reaping the rewards of hard work,” Sayers said. “They're so focused and driven.”

After Carroll led by as many as eight points in the contest, the Diggers fought their way back and took the lead with 4:25 left in the game on a Bryn Hasquet jump shot. The sophomore from Missoula Sentinel scored a game-high 19 points, living up to the Hasquet family name on 7-for-13 shooting. Carroll regained the lead 2 minutes later on Allen's turnaround jumper.

“They made shots down the stretch and we didn't,” said Tech coach Kerie DePell, whose team fell to 9-16 overall, 4-9 in the Frontier.

An off night by leading scorer Mandy Machinal only added to Tech's offensive woes. The Diggers shot just 37.5 percent for the game, and Machinal was 0-for-6 from the field.

“She's better than that,” DePell said, “but she's a freshman, so it's a rollercoaster ride for her. Tonight was a down night.”

Like Hasquet, Dannielle Devenny was able to keep the Diggers in the game. The sophomore forward from Perth, Australia, scored nine of her 16 points in the second half, and recorded a double-double with 13 rebounds. She also dished out a game-leading five assists to go along with a block and a steal.

“Tech is really disciplined fundamentally,” Sayers said. “They're physical and they battle you every possession. It was tough, but we played hard, played well and we got a win.”

Carroll led 23-16 after a turnover-laden first half. The Saints jumped out to an early lead with back-to-back buckets on dribble-drive penetration, then went up 7-2 courtesy of five straight Saints points by Cahill. The Orediggers had nothing but free throws through the first 5 minutes and 20 seconds, until Hasquet's 3-pointer with 14:40 left in the half cut Carroll's lead to five points. Another basket by Hasquet — an 8-footer at the 11:41 mark — made it 12-10 Saints, before the hosts went on a 9-2 run.

With Thursday night's win on “Pink Out Night,” where players and coaches wore pink in support of breast cancer awareness, Sayers got the sweep over Tech in her first year at the helm — not an easy feat for any coach. She credited her assistants for their support this season, citing Gary Turcott's experience as a big asset. The Saints still have one final regular season game when they host Western on Saturday, and Junkermier hopes the team can build off the Tech victory.

“We had lost five in a row so this win is huge for us,” the Spokane, Wash., native said. “It gets us back on track where we want to be for the playoffs. Now hopefully we can get a win (Saturday).”