GREAT FALLS, Mont. – (13) Lady Argo basketball will aim for a bounce back weekend after starting Frontier Conference play with four straight losses. It will be UGF's first weekend of back-to-back conference games where at least one of its opponents aren't ranked in the NAIA Top-25. While the previous weekend's slate pitted the Lady Argos against (11) MSU-Northern and (25) Carroll College, the upcoming weekend will be home games against (RV) Montana Western and unranked Rocky Mountain College.
The UMW Bulldogs may not be ranked, but they'll still provide a significant challenge to UGF when they visit the McLaughlin Center on Friday, January 13. The team entered last weekend as one of four teams left in the NAIA with undefeated records, but Western's 13-0 dropped to 13-2 with losses to Montana Tech and (2) Lewis-Clark State.
Either Western or UGF will end their multi-game losing streak on Friday. In order for the Lady Argos to be that team, they'll have to get the offense back in gear. Over the past two games, losses to Northern and Carroll, UGF averaged just over 53 points per game and shot a combined 33.5 percent from the field. That will be a significant challenge against the Bulldogs who have won games with a staunch defense and a conservative offense.
Western ranked 5th in NAIA Division I in Scoring Defense, giving up 52.6 ppg. That did change significantly last weekend with Tech scoring 70 and LC State score 83 against the Bulldogs.
The other strength for UMW has been a turnover free offense, led by senior point guard Aniese Palmore who ranks 3rd in Assist/Turnover Ratio (3.190) and 19th in Assists per Game (4.467). As a team the Bulldogs are 2nd in the country in Turnover Margin (8.133). That also matches up with one of UGF's strengths. The Lady Argos are 30th in the NAIA in Total Steals (147) and junior guard Stephanie McDonagh is 9th in that category with 45.
UGF swept the Bulldogs in 2015-16 and 2014-15. The last time Western beat the Lady Argos was on March 3, 2014 in the first round of the Frontier Conference Tournament.
The Battlin' Bears of Rocky Mountain College have had more success against UGF in recent years, with Great Falls holding a 3-2 record against Rocky over the best two season.
That being said, the Battlin' Bears haven't had a great start to the 2016-17 season, joining UGF at the bottom of the Frontier Conference standings with a record of 9-7 (1-3). RMC's most recent game was also the team's first conference win, defeating Montana Tech 62-51 on Saturday, January 7.
Like the Bulldogs, the Bears are solid defensively with a clean, but not explosive offense. The team is led by junior guard Mikayla Jones who leads Rocky in points (14.38 ppg), assists (3.38 apg), and steals (2.94 spg) and ranks 5th in NAIA Div. I in Total Steals (47).
The pace of the game will be interesting to track. The Battlin' Bears have been a hot starting team, scoring 27 percent of the team's points in the 1st quarter, while the first 10 minutes of play have been the worst for UGF who instead has typically surged in the 3rd quarter where 29 percent of its points are scored.
The McLaughlin Center will also be the venue for the UGF vs. RMC game which will tip off at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 14. The game will also be broadcast live on SWX Montana.
GAME LINKS
UGF vs. Montana Western – Live Streaming | Live Stats | Radio
UGF vs. Rocky Mountain – Live Streaming | Live Stats | Radio
