HAVRE, Mont. - Two made 3-point field goals at the start of overtime from senior guard Jared Schultz gave the University of Providence the separation it needed to pull out a 76-75 overtime win over Valley City State University. Overtime really shouldn't have been necessary as the Argos held a 13 point lead in the second half. 
 
A good ending to the first half and a strong start to the second, including a three from Schultz had the Argos ahead of the Vikings 42-29 with 17 minutes left in regulation. VCSU's then hit each of its next 6 shots and narrowed the gap to 4 points in about five minutes.
 
The second half comeback was aided by 7 UP turnovers in the final 17 minutes. With two minutes left, the Vikings were the ones that held a lead 61-59. Senior point guard DuShaun Rice was fouled with 1:54 on the clock and hit 2 big free throws to tie the game.
 
Each team got two possessions to try and break the stalemate but a total of 3 missed shots and 2 turnovers meant the score stayed at 61-61 when the horn sounded.
 
The first two shots of the overtime period were 3-point attempts from Schultz and both went down. That gave the Argos a 6-point lead, its largest since 12:02 in the second half, that margin made all the difference.
 
A layup from senior forward Steven Daho-Clark brought the lead to 7 with 3 minutes left and the Argos held onto a two-score lead until the final seconds.
 
VCSU got the gap down to 2 points with 9 seconds left. Senior guard Sergio Berkley then hit 2 free throws to bring the lead back to 4 and it was a good thing because the Vikings nailed the buzzer beater to make the final score 76-75.
 
Three throws were crucial for the Argos down the stretch. UP went 7-21 from the free-throw line in the game including 13-17 in the second half and overtime. Hitting most of those free throws, particularly in the clutch, were Berkley and Rice who combined to shoot 13-16 from the line.
 
Those free throws also made Rice and Berkley the team's two leading scorers. Rice finished with 19 points, his highest total since becoming an Argo. Along with his success at the charity stripe, the senior also had the best shooting night of his career at UP. He shot over 50 percent from the field for the first time in the six games he has played in and hit more than 1 three for the first time, going 3-5 from distance.
 
Berkley scored 15 points while shooting 4-6 from the field. He and Rice also combined to account for 7 of the team's 14 assists, and 3 of the team's 6 steals.
 
In the paint, Daho-Clark earned his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 boards despite only playing 22 minutes due to foul trouble. Schultz ended with 11 points, 6 of which came in overtime, and also had 3 assists.
 
The win brings UP's record to 5-3 on the season with their next game coming against Salish Kootenai College who the team beat 99-57 earlier in the year.