GREAT FALLS, Mont. – For the first time in the 2017-18 season, the University of Providence women's basketball team played an NAIA opponent and despite the increased level of competition continued to dominate. The Lady Argos led by 16 points after the first quarter against Dickinson State University and eventually won the game 75-48.
 
Freshman Parker Esary was the primary source of UP's dominance through the first 10 minutes. The big-strong forward took advantage of a diminutive DSU lineup, scoring early and often. She scored the first 3 points of the game by bullying in the paint and finished the period with 11 points.
 
"Obviously we had a height advantage. Coach gave us a good scouting report and we knew that's where we had the advantage," Esary said. "The guards did a really good job of getting it to me inside."
 
Complimenting Esary's offensive prowess in the first quarter was a stellar defensive effort. UP forced the Bluehawks into 6 turnovers in the period and held the team to 1 made shot and 9 percent shooting from the field.
 
The second quarter wasn't as strong for the Lady Argos. Esary only scored 4 more points and UP's shooting percentage dropped from 66.6 percent in the first quarter to 29.4 percent in the second. The opposite happened to Dickinson, making 5 of 11 attempts including 3-5 from three.
 
"We didn't shoot the ball as well as I'd like us to tonight, but we moved the ball well and got some open looks. We'll knock those down on most nights, just tonight a couple of them didn't fall," Head Coach Bill Himmelberg said. "When you're sharing the ball and moving it, you're going to get a lot of different kinds of open looks to a lot of different players."
 
Part of the downturn in the second quarter was the play of freshman point guard Emilee Maldonado. The sharpshooting guard was phenomenal in the team's first two games against cupcake opponents, but the adjustment of playing her first NAIA level team caused a few freshman growing pains. She shot 2-7 in the first half with 4 turnovers.
 
Picking up for Maldonado were senior guards Molly Herron and Stephanie McDonagh. The two experienced leaders took a backseat to the team's talented freshman class in the previous two games, but against DSU they showed they can still take control of a game when needed.
 
Both players finished with 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in the first half.
 
The second half played out in much the same way as the first. UP won the third set 26-14 but the fourth set was a 12-12 tie with the Lady Argos emptying the bench.
 
Maldonado quickly adjusted to the pace of play, and while her cold shooting night continued, she had 2 assists, 2 steals, and just 1 turnover in the second half.
 
Throughout the game, the Lady Argos were deadly near the basket but cold from distance. UP outscored Dickinson 48-16 in the paint and shot 47.1 percent from the floor, but went 4-19 from three.
 
Esary ended as the team's leading scorer with 23 points and 7 rebounds. McDonagh was the team's next leading scorer with a balanced stat sheet of 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists.
 
Both Maldonado and Herron finished with 12 points, and the team's fifth starter, senior Kallee Wilson had 8 points, 4 assists, and a  team leading  8 boards.
 
The Lady Argos are now 3-0 on the season but the competition gets tough from here on. Next up, the team will travel to Phoenix, Arizona for its first road games, starting with Benedictine University at Mesa on November 3 at 5 p.m.