JACKSON, Tenn. -- Another day, another blood pressure spike for the Carroll College women's basketball team, who survived a 61-59 first-round battle over Westmont, Calif., in the NAIA Women's Basketball Tournament Wednesday.

Ho (breathe in) ... hum (breathe out).

Senior Jolene Fuzesy, trying to extend her college career one more day, had 16 points and six rebounds for Carroll (26-5), while sophomore Elly Bruursema added 13 points -- including a pair of key 3-point shots that rallied her team in the second half.

Danielle Maloney, another senior looking to delay the teary exit, added 10 points, including 6-of-8 foul shooting.

But this game was in perpetual doubt, with 13 lead changes and 11 ties. In the final three minutes, the only points scored by either team were single free throws by Carroll freshman Sara Meyer with 2:46 to play and sophomore Hannah Heidenreich at the 12-second mark. Both came after offensive rebounds.

Meyer, who averaged just three rebounds a game during the season, dominated Wednesday with 13 boards to go with her single point.

In the chaotic final 10 seconds, Westmont (21-9) missed two shots, and the Warriors were sure a third try was stopped by a shove on sophomore star Amber Stevens.

Still, such assaults on Carroll's nerves are nothing new at Oman Arena. The Saints' last four NAIA games, dating back to 2006, have been decided by 13 points.

They exited last year's event with a two-point, second-round loss to Trevecca Nazarene.

"We're still trying to get to the level of the Unions, the Southern Nazarenes, and the next game is a level we have to get past," said Carroll coach Shawn Nelson, whose team has yet to reach the quarterfinals.

The Saints will get another chance Friday at 9:45 a.m. MDT against upstart Harris-Stowe of St. Louis, a No. 8 seed that upended four-time NAIA champ Oklahoma City, 73-64.

"What you saw those final three minutes was two teams playing very good defense," said Nelson of the choppy landing. "But you have to feel good that our kids knew what they had to do, especially on defense, and did it."

"You come here, you come to play hard and you know everyone else is going to the do the same," Maloney said.

"You get it done somehow," Fuzesy said.

The Saints, despite an early eight-point lead, only managed a 30-28 halftime edge on a late basket by Heidenreich.

After the break, Westmont took momentum behind several free-form layups by athletic sophomore Amber Stevens. The Warriors opened a 51-46 edge with 7:23 left in the game on a basket by Angel Blanco.

"We had to hit some shots, and we had to clamp down," said Bruursema, who immediately answered Blanco's bucket with a three-pointer.

Bruursema would hit another trey down the stretch.

Fuzesy would fight her way for two key baskets in the paint, then set up senior Caitlin Courchaine for a three that gave Carroll a 59-57 lead with 3:46 left.

But on the next possession, Westmont's Stevens passed to Ali Mooty for the equalizer at 3:24, and the duel was on.

"We had a stretch there where we were hitting twos and they were hitting threes, and they also hit some free throws in there," said Stevens, who led the Warriors with 15 points, six assists and seven rebounds. Stephanie Anderson added 14 and Blanco 11 for Westmont.

Warriors coach Kristen McKnight was screaming at the officials about the no-call that ended the game after Stevens came up with an offensive rebounds.

Yet McKnight looked at her team's 2-for-9 three-point shooting, compared to 8-of-19 for Carroll, Meyer's glut of rebounds, and said "We came in here last year, played hard and identified some things we needed to improve. Today both teams laid it all out there, but we've got more things we need to work on for that next step."

WESTMONT COLLEGE (21-9)-Anderson 6-9 1-2 14, Stevens 6-14 3-7 15, Case 2-8 0-0 5, Heglund 3-6 2-2 8, Mooty 2-8 0-0 4, Reynolds 0-1 0-0 0, Chessum 1-3 0-0 2, Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Blanco 5-8 1-1 11, Crawford 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-58 7-12 59.

CARROLL COLLEGE (26-5)-Heidenreich 2-6 2-3 6, Rochelle 1-4 0-1 2, Courchaine 3-7 0-0 8, Maloney 2-5 6-8 10, Fuzesy 7-11 0-0 16, Bruursema 4-11 2-2 13, High 1-3 0-0 3, Mills 1-1 0-0 2, Meyer 0-2 1-2 1. Totals 21-50 11-16 61.

Halftime--Carroll 30, Westmont 28. 3-point goals--Westmont 2-9 (Anderson 1-2, Case 1-4, Stevens 0-1, Reynolds 0-1, Chessum 0-1), Carroll 8-19 (Bruursema 3-5, Fuzesy 2-4, Courchaine 2-5, High 1-3, Maloney 0-2). Rebounds--Westmont 31 (Stevens 7), Carroll 36 (Meyer 13). Assists--Westont 10 (Stevens 6), Carroll 13 (Courchaine 6). Total fouls--Westmont 15, Carroll 9. A--NA.