KENOSHA, Wis. - Ranked 20th in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, Carroll's women's basketball team picked up a conference road victory Wednesday night, defeating in-state rival Carthage by a score of 79-59. The Pioneers were dominant inside for much of the night, out-rebounding the Firebirds 45-30, while also outscoring them in the paint by a 44-22 margin.

The game featured five ties and 10 lead changes, all of which came before halftime. Carthage (11-9, 4-7 CCIW) scored the game's first four points, before Olivia Rangel got the Pioneers on the board with four quick points of her own. The two teams then traded baskets, before Carroll (16-4, 9-2 CCIW) went on a 7-0 run, capped by a layup by Ryann Wendt. Leading by five at the beginning of the second period, Carroll saw that lead slip away, but a 3-pointer by Natalie Palzkill put the Pioneers back in front. That was the beginning of a 13-2 run, which put Carroll in control of the game.

Leading 42-32 at halftime, the Pioneers continued to keep the pedal to the metal, scoring the first five points of the second half on a 3-pointer by Olivia Rangel and a Palzkill jumper. They would lead by double digits the rest of the way, with their largest lead of 21 coming with three minutes left in the third period. One highlight of the game came in the final seconds of the third when Rangel connected on a free throw to give her 1,000 career points. That makes her just the 17th player in program history to reach that milestone.

Rangel led all scorers with 28 points, as she currently ranks as the conference's second-leading scorer. Playing all 40 minutes, the Franklin, Wis. native shot 10-for-18 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range, while converting 5-of-7 shots from the foul line. She also finished with six rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Natalie Gricius added 22 points and seven rebounds, while Palzkill chipped in with 12 points and six boards. Chloe Halverson did the dirty work, pulling down a career-high 15 rebounds in her 28 minutes.

Carthage was led by Lauren Knight's 20 points, while Elena Knebel added 11 points in just 15 minutes. Margueret Spear added nine points and six rebounds in the loss.

The Pioneers will be in action again on Saturday when they'll return home to face North Park at 2 p.m. inside Van Male Fieldhouse in Waukesha, Wis.