ELMHURST, Ill. – The Carroll University women's basketball team struggled to take control of the contest in the first quarter but finished the game on a 75-35 run through the next three quarters to take a 91-55 win over the Elmhurst Bluejays on Saturday. This game marks the largest margin of victory over Elmhurst since they rejoined the CCIW. Brooke Foster led the Pioneers in scoring with 14 points on 6-10 shooting to go along with four assists and three rebounds. Elizabeth Behrndt pulled in a team-high seven rebounds to go along with 10 points.
 
The Pioneers (6-3, 1-3 CCIW) pick up their first CCIW win of the season and their first win inside R.A Faganel Hall since they rejoined the CCIW in 2016-17. Carroll shot a season-best 55.2% from the floor while making 14-15 free throws. Carroll bested Elmhurst in fast-break points (36-6), points in the paint (60-26), steals (17-8), and points off turnovers (33-19), a category they have struggled with over the past three games. The Pioneer bench dropped 52 points led by Foster and Chloe Halverson's season-high 10 points.
 
The Pios and Bluejays were gridlocked early on in the first quarter, tied at six points after Behrndt's first layup of the game with 6:31 left in the first quarter. Foster scored and then assisted on the next possession with 4:23 left in the quarter to give Carroll a 12-8 lead, but the Bluejays finished the quarter on a 12-4 run to take a 20-14 lead at the end of the first. After an Elmhurst bucket to start the second period, Theresa Wichser (8 PTS, 1-2 3PM) knocked down her lone three of the game to kickstart what would become a 24-7 run through the second quarter. Behrndt and Katie Evans (6 PTS) led the scoring with six points each while Olivia Rangel collected three of her team-leading five steals. The Pioneers took a 40-29 lead into halftime.
 
The Pioneers weren't done yet, as they took control of the second half with a 26-4 third quarter, holding Elmhurst to just 2-11 shooting, while Carroll jammed in 11 field goals. Foster drooped six points While Halverson added five to the team's total. 16 of Carroll's 26 points came off of 13 Elmhurst turnovers in the third. Coach Lindsay Schultz went to her bench in the fourth quarter as Junior Megan Madsen scored her first points since the 2019-2020 season in six minutes, adding six points on 2-2 shooting.
 
Carroll will leave the Midwest and travel down to Florida for two non-conference games in the Daytona Beach Shootout. The Pios will first face Westminster (MO) on Monday, December 20 at 11 Central, 12 Eastern.