Carroll (Wis.) 68, Carthage 65
WAUKESHA, Wis. - The Carthage women's basketball concluded the 2026 regular season on the road against the Carroll Pioneers on Saturday afternoon. After falling behind in the third quarter, the Firebirds attempted to rally back in the final period before coming up short as the Pioneers claimed the victory and a share of the CCIW Championship.



The Pioneers opened the scoring with a layup from Anna Nielson to take a 2-0 lead over the Firebirds. Malia Green responded with a pair of threes to get Carthage on the board with a 6-2 lead. The two sides traded baskets before a six-point run for Alyssa Orozco gave the Firebirds a 13-8 lead with 2:58 to play in the period. A 9-0 run for the Pioneers flipped the narrative and quickly gave Carroll a 17-13 lead with a minute left in the quarter. A three from Delaney Elsmore ended the scoring drought, before a layup from Natalie Gricius gave the Pioneers a 19-16 lead to end the quarter. Orozco and Green led the Firebirds, each scoring six points in the period.

A layup from Katie Barger extended the Pioneer lead to five points to open the second quarter before a three from Green and another from Nora Ahram erased the deficit and gave the Firebirds a 22-21 lead with 8:31 on the clock. The Pioneers built back a lead, holding a 29-25 advantage with four minutes left in the first half. A three from Orozco cut the deficit to one once again but a late run for the Pioneers would give the home squad a 35-30 lead at the halftime break. Green continued to lead the Firebirds with eight points in the quarter and a total of 14 points in the first half.

Gricius started the scoring for Carroll to open the second half and kicked off an 8-0 run for the Pioneers, who led 43-30 with 7:01 to play in the third quarter. A layup from Orozco ended the Carroll run and a three from Green cut the deficit to 10 points for the Firebirds. The two teams traded points throughout the most of the quarter, as Carroll held a 53-45 lead to end the period after both sides went scoreless for the final two and a half minutes of play. Green led the way with eight points in the quarter.

The Pioneers built the lead back up to 14 points in the opening two minutes of the fourth quarter. A pair of threes from Orozco and a layup from Green cut the deficit to 60-54 with 5:54 left on the clock. A layup from Ahram brought the Firebirds within four points of the lead, before an and-one play for Gricius extended the Pioneers lead back to seven points. The Firebirds continued to battle, drawing within two points after a pair of threes from Ahram, but ultimately fell short as the Pioneers came away with the three point win.


 

• Malia Green - 24 points*, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
• Alyssa Orozco - 19 points, 6 rebounds*, 4 assists*
• Nora Ahram - 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals*

*led team in stat category



"Really proud of our fight to finish that game and the regular season," said Head Coach Megan Jones. "The way we finished the game is the mindset we have to carry into next week. Carroll is a great team and they went on a few runs and we sustained them and fought back each time to give ourselves a chance. Ultimately it came down to rebounding and defending the paint, they outrebounded us 41-31 and outscored us in the paint 42-14. But I am so proud of how hard our team fought and how much energy our bench had. Everyone is 0-0 now heading into next week and we have to get focused and prepare to protect home court on Tuesday night!"



The Firebirds (14-11, 8-8 CCIW) have secured the No. 4 seed in the 2026 CCIW Women's Basketball Tournament and will host the fifth-seeded Elmhurst Bluejays on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Action begins at 7 p.m. in Tarble Arena and will be streamed live on the CCIW network. For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.