GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Four players scored in double figures for Lady Argo basketball as the team picked up its third straight win of the season over Yellowstone Christian College. UGF was led by junior Stephanie McDonagh, who scored 21 points in the 85-58 win.
The first half was dominate for UGF, with the team clicking in every facet of the game. McDonagh and senior guard Darah Huertas-Vining put on a show from behind the 3-point arc. In the first period, McDonagh went 5-6 from long range, while Huertas-Vining went 3-4 as UGF shot 58 percent from three.
Defensively UGF forced 17 turnovers in the first half and held the Centurions to a shooting percentage of 32 percent. The Lady Argos also look advantage of a foul prone YCC defense, shooting 18 free throws in the first half and making 12 of them.
All of that combined for a 29 point lead for UGF at the half with the score 49-20. The threes didn't go down as smoothly in the second half, but instead it was the posts who stepped up in the scoring. Seniors Nneka Nnadi and Whitney George each scored 8 points in the second to join McDonagh and Huertas-Vining as double-digit scorers for the Lady Argos.
Despite the efforts of Nnadi and George, things slowed down a bit for UGF in the second half as Head Coach Bill Himmelberg emptied his bench. Leading the bench players in points were redshirt-senior Kalani Ulufale and redshirt-junior Kallee Wilson who each had 6 points.
The Lady Argos finished the game with 23 points off of turnovers and 15 second chance points, coming off of 16 offensive rebounds.
McDonagh ended up finishing the game with a team leading 21 points, while also tying for the team lead with 4 steals. Huertas-Vining scored 18 points, doubling her previous season best of 9. She also started to see the floor the way she did as a sophomore before missing last year, leading the Lady Argos with 4 assists.
Nnadi came one rebound away from her first double-double of the season with 14 points and 9 rebounds. She stuffed the stat sheet elsewhere as well, totaling 4 steals, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.
George, who finished 2nd in the NAIA in blocks in 2015-16 added 4 to her current season total to go along with her 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals.
UGF's record goes to 3-0 with the win. The game also marks the team's last home game until December 16th. The Lady Argo's first road game of the season will be against Menlo College in Atherton, Calif. on November 3.