GREAT FALLS, Mont. – There are no easy weekends in the Frontier Conference, and in a league as competitive as the Frontier, every game matters, but the upcoming week will be of particular importance for (19) University of Providence women's basketball. The Lady Argos currently sit in a three-way tie at the top of the conference standings, deadlocked at a 7-3 record with (13) Carroll College and (15) Rocky Mountain College.
 
UP's next two games will be against those two teams, and both will come on the road. By the end of the weekend, the conference hierarchy should be much clearer. The first of the two games will be against Carroll on Thursday, February 1 at 5:30 p.m., followed by Rocky on Saturday, February 3 at 5:30 p.m.
 
Taming the Turnovers
 
Since becoming ranked just over two weeks ago, the Lady Argos have put on a Jekyll and Hyde acting, winning close games against Montana State University-Northern and (RV) Lewis-Clark State College but also suffering blowout losses to Montana Tech and (24) University of Montana Western.
 
The clear difference between the wins and the losses were turnovers. In the two wins, the Lady Argos turned the ball over 11 times, a number higher than ideal but low enough to win. In the two losses, that number more than doubled, with UP losing the ball 23 times against Tech and 25 times against Western.
 
When keeping its turnover numbers below 20, the Lady Argos are 16-1 on the year, while the team has averaged 21.2 turnovers in its five losses.
 
McDonagh Can't Miss
 
Despite the recent losses, senior guard Stephanie McDonagh has been on fire in the last four games. While she has scored 10 or more points in all by one game in 2017-18, the last four have been particularly strong with her averaging 21 points, 5.5 rebounds. 4.25  assists,  and 2.5 steals over that stretch. As good as those numbers are, her shooting numbers are even better, shooting 66 percent from the field and 64 percent from 3-point range.
 
That run has the senior leading the Frontier Conference in scoring (18.57 ppg), field goal percentage (55.6 percent), and steals per game (2.67  spg ).
 
UP vs Carroll: Game Notes

• Both teams are ranked in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll, but both are ranked lower than they were the week before. UP dropped from 14 to 19 while Carroll went from 10 to 13.
• The last time the two teams played was on December 3, 2017. Carroll beat UP 78-65.
• That loss was the only over the year for the Lady Argos when turning it over less than 20 times. UP lost the ball 13 times in the game.
• Shooting percentage was the difference in that can, as the Fighting Saints made 51.7 percent of its shots from the floor and went 11-22 from three. UP, meanwhile, went 38 percent from the field and 35 percent from three.
• Carroll has won four straight games against the Lady Argos. The last time UP beat the Saints was in the semifinals of the Frontier Conference Playoffs on March 5, 2016.
• The last time the Lady Argos won in Helena was on January 17, 2015, in a close 73-68 victory.
• Post play will be a major factor in the contest with two of the top post players in the conference going against each other. Carroll's senior Hannah Dean leads the conference in rebounds per game (8.24  rpg ) but is closely followed by UP's freshman Parker Esary at (7.67  rpg ).
• Rebounding will be a strength vs. strength matchup from a team standpoint as well. The Lady Argos rank 7th in NAIA Division I in Total Rebound Defense, allowing an average of 31.524 rebounds per game, while Carroll is close behind at 9th with an average of 31.571 rebounds per game.
• Carroll ranks 4th in Scoring Defense per Game (54.238 ppg) and 12th in Blocks per Game (4.048  bpg ).
• Over the past four games, the Fighting Saints are also 2-2, losing to Western and Rocky, while beating LC State and Montana Tech.

 
UP vs Rocky: Game Notes

• The Battlin' Bears and the Lady Argos have both seriously outperformed their rankings in both the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll and the Frontier Conference Preseason Poll. Both teams entered the year unranked nationally and were picked to finish fifth and sixth respectively in the conference.
• UP got the better of the Rocky the first time the two teams met, winning 60-52 in the first game of conference play on December 2, 2017.
• In that game, the Lady Argos dominated the post, outscoring RMC 28-18 in the pain and outrebounding the Battlin' Bears 44-38. Freshman Parker Esary had the first double-double of her career in the game with 12 points and 14 boards.
• Rocky was the only conference team the Lady Argos beat in 2016-17, going 1-2 against the Battlin' Bears with a  71-55 win early in conference play.
• The last time UP won on the road against Rocky was on February 11, 2016, but the team has only played RMC in Billings once since then.
• Defense has been the key to Rocky's success in 2017-18. The Battlin' Bears have the 2nd ranked defense nationally, allowing just 48.5 ppg and 32.4 percent shooting against.
• Rocky's guards have been particularly opportunistic on defense with junior Brianna Jones ranking 3rd in the conference in Steals Per Game (2.10  spg ) while Hailee Farstveet is 5th in the conference in that same category (1.75  spg ).
• Rocky is one of the hottest teams in the conference, winning four of its last five games, including a 58-50 win over Carroll.