Carroll of Montana has proven it can play at multiple tempos and be successful.

Two days ago, it played at No. 8 Westmont’s deliberate pace and won 39-34.

Monday afternoon on Bross Court, the Fighting Saints ran into a TMU squad that loves to play up-tempo.

And, in the end, they couldn’t keep up as the Mustangs pulled away in the fourth quarter to win 74-64.

“I’m so proud of their commitment to each other,” said Mustang head coach Dan Waldeck. “We have a ton of respect for Carroll, so to pull out a hard-fought victory was fantastic.”

Winning for the fifth time in six starts, the Mustangs (5-1) came out firing from long distance as Hannah Forrar and Brooke Bailey drained early three-pointers to give TMU a 6-4 lead.

However, the Saints kept up in a very entertaining first quarter that TMU freshman Tristen Coltom capped with another trifecta for a 21-16 lead.

The Mustangs, who shot 52% in the first half, quickened the pace in the second quarter and vaulted to a number of double-digit leads. A Sabrina Thompson jumper with 4:20 remaining made it a 35-25 game and when Hannah Ostrom drained a three-ball three minutes later, the Mustangs led by their largest margin of the evening, 41-29.

A late run by the Saints chopped the deficit to eight points and TMU took a 41-33 lead into the break.

That momentum carried over into a third quarter that proved to be Carroll’s best of the evening. Methodically chipping away at the deficit, the Saints caught the Mustangs at 48-all with 54 seconds remaining in the period on a Taylor Salonen bucket.

Brooke Bailey answered with a layup and TMU carried a two-point lead to the final quarter.

The Saints kept coming, though, and when Bailey Pasta drained a three-pointer just three seconds into the last stanza, Carroll had its first lead (51-50)since the opening minutes of the game.

Coltom responded with her second trey of the evening to put the Mustangs back in front. However, Salonen equaled that on the Saints’ next possession to give Carroll a 54-53 lead.

That slightest of advantages lasted nearly two minutes before Hannah Forrar tied the game at the line.

On the Mustangs’ next possession, Ostrom put the Mustangs back in front with her second three-pointer of the afternoon at the 6:21 mark.

After the Saints tied the game at 58-all with 4:59 remaining, Forrar put the Mustangs ahead with a three-point play and this time it was for good.

Moments later, Anika Neuman drained a three-pointer that triggered a game-clinching 9-0 burst as the Mustangs held the Saints scoreless for over three-and-a-half minutes.

Forrar, the club’s leading scorer at 18.5ppg, led the Mustangs with 21 points, grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, and handed out four assists. Thompson added 15 points and equaled Forrar’s assist total while Neuman and Bailey chipped in with 11 points apiece.

Reflecting on that balance, Waldeck said, “Once again we had contributions up and down the lineup.”

In the middle of their busiest stretch of the season, the Mustangs get a day off before hosting Cal Lutheran on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.