LEWISTON, Idaho - Part way through the third quarter, Lady Argo basketball was within 1 point of #2 Lewis-Clark State College, but a superb final 14 minutes of play from the Warriors meant a 79-66 loss for UGF. 
 
"I thought our girls played their hearts out tonight and the score really doesn't reflect how close the game way," UGF Head Coach Bill Himmelberg said. "I was really proud of the way we played. We just had a few breakdowns late and they hit a couple big threes."
 
Before an otherwise close game slipped away, the Lady Argos came out firing.  Against one of the highest scoring, and best shooting teams in the country, UGF matched its opponent shot for shot in the first quarter.
 
Freshman guard Jenna Randich started the game hot from distance, while senior guard Nneka Nnadi complimented her with aggressive drives to the hoop. Each player scored 6 points in the first 10 minutes and helped UGF to a shooting percentage of 57.
 
That effort was nearly matched on the other end, however, with LC State also shooting above 50 percent and staying within 2 points of the Lady Argos by the end of the period.
 
UGF again outshot the Warriors in the second quarter, but 9 turnovers in the period negated most of that advantage. LC State scored 13 of its 21 points in the quarter off Lady Argos turnovers and turned that into a 40-33 lead heading into the half.
 
With a made 3-pointer to start the second half, the Warrior's extended that lead to 10, but after that the team's shooting cooled off for a while. At the 7:35 mark in the third quarter, the Lady Argos trailed 45-35. Over the next three minutes that 10-point lead was whittled down to 49-48.
 
A 3-point field goal from junior guard Molly Herron completed that 13-5 run by UGF with 4:32 left in the period. For the next four and a half minutes, the Lady Argos stayed within two possessions, but that changed abruptly in the fourth quarter. 
 
Once again the quarter started with an LC State 3-pointer and the Warriors then went on to score 5 more. All the sudden a 6-point lead at the end of the third had become a 13-point lead and UGF was left scrambling from there.
 
Making the matter worse was a sudden dramatic separation in shooting making ability. In the final 10 minutes of play the Warriors shot 80 percent from the field, while UGF shot just 27 percent.
 
UGF's junior guard Stephanie McDonagh only made three field goals in the game but still finished with her fifth double-double of the season. She wasn't too far off from a triple-double either, with 11 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. 
 
With their leading scorer's point total well below her season average of 16 ppg, a number of other Lady Argos stepped up. Junior Nneka Nnadi led the team with 13 points and shot the second best percentage of anyone on the team, going 5-8 from the floor.
 
UGF's most efficient scorer was senior center Kalani Ulufale who scored 11 points off 4-6 shooting from the field. Randich also broke double digits, relying on three made threes and a free throw for 10 points and 2 steals.
 
The Lady Argos are now on an 8-game losing streak with a record of 12-13 (1-13). The team will return home for the first time in the month of February looking to end that streak, playing (11) Montana State University – Norther on Feb. 26 at 5:30 p.m. in The McLaughlin Center.