GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Conference play continues to be a bane for (13) Lady Argo basketball. Despite outscoring the University of Montana Western 36-28 in the final 20 minutes of play, UGF still couldn't overcome a poor first half, losing to the Bulldogs 66-59.
It was the first 20 minutes that put UGF in a hole too big to climb out off. The Lady Argos struggled to stick with the Bulldogs defensively, scrambling in their rotations while the Bulldogs took advantage of open looks both from three and in the paint.
Western shot 53 percent from the floor and 41 percent from long range in the first two quarter. In contrast, the Lady Argos only made a third of their field goal attempts and only hit one three-point shot.
While most of the team struggled offensively, seniors Nneka Nnadi and Whitney George both showcased a scoring ability that had been missing earlier in conference play. The pair each scored 8 points in the first half to combine for 16 of UGF's 23 points.
In the third quarter, UGF started to turn things around. The team's leading scorer, junior guard Stephanie McDonagh started to emerge from her surprisingly low point total of 5, to score 8 in the first 10 minutes out of the locker room.
Her efforts along with a significantly improved defensive effort helped the Lady Argos close the game to 11 points by the end of the period.
That momentum continued in the fourth quarter. McDonagh scored four more points in the first few minutes which, aided by a big three-pointer from freshman Cayden Diefenbach, closed the gap to 7.
From there, Nnadi took over. Playing like the Preseason All-American that she is, the senior guard scored 8 straight points to bring the game within 5 points with just over two minutes to go. During that run from Nnadi, the Lady Argo defense was at its best. UGF stole the ball from the Bulldogs three consecutive times, twice by junior guard Molly Herron and once by Nnadi.
With the momentum at a fever pitch, both offenses went dead cold and no points were scored for almost two minutes. When the scoreboard finally changed, it was for a made Western free throw with 24 seconds remaining. Three more makes from the charity stripe for the Bulldogs in the final seconds sealed the game and left the Lady Argos still searching for a win in Frontier Conference play.
The loss came at the despite outstanding individual efforts from Nnadi and McDonagh. The two combined to score 43 of UGF's 59 points with Nnadi tying a season high of 23 points. McDonagh scored 20, and added 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals while playing the full 40 minutes.
UGF's record falls to 11-5 (0-5) with the team hoping to break a three-game losing streak with a home contest against Rocky Mountain College on Saturday, January 14 at 5:30 p.m.
