GREAT FALLS, Mont. – After a first half that at times looked lackadaisical for the University of Providence women's basketball team, the Lady Argos turned it on in the second half, holding Montana Tech to 6-33 shooting on the way to a 71-61 win. UP trailed the Diggers 42-32 at halftime and ended up outscoring Tech by 20 points in the next 20 minutes. 
 
An and-1 layup from freshman post Parker Esary a minute into the game gave the Lady Argos a lead that the team held for most of the period. Both teams established strong offensive rebounding early in the game, and the offensive glass continued to be a significant factor throughout.
 
With just under two minutes left in the quarter, a turnover and then a foul for junior post player Tristan Murphy turned the game in Tech's favor. With the tall Murphy off the floor, the Diggers grabbed 2 offensive boards on the ensuing possession and tied the game with a layup. They then ended the period with a made three to go ahead 20-17 and despite 4 offensive rebounds in the final 20 seconds, the Lady Argos couldn't answer by the final buzzer.
 
Tech took that small lead and ran with it in the second half. UP got outrebounded 12-4 in the period and also committed 4 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Diggers took advantage of the extra possessions, shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 40 percent from three in the period.
 
After his team allowed its opponent to shoot almost 50 percent from the floor and grab 23 rebounds in the first half, Head Coach Bill Himmelberg had a talk with his team at halftime and they responded with a much better defensive effort in the second half.
 
In the third quarter, Tech shot just 17 percent and never went to the free-throw line. The fourth quarter wasn't much better for them, shooting 18 percent including 1-7 from three.
 
With Tech's offense locked down, Esary and senior guard Stephanie McDonagh led the Lady Argos on a comeback effort. A 13-0 run starting with 7:40 on the third quarter clock included 3 Tech turnovers, and 6 points from McDonagh and ended with a three from sophomore Jenna Randich. Randich's shot gave UP a 47-46 advantage that was the team's first lead since late in the first quarter.
 
The score was tied 49-49 with a minute left in the period and the Diggers got the first chance to break the deadlock. With Murphy again on the bench, Tech got three chances in one possession, but they couldn't make any of them fall before Esary finally grabbed a defensive rebound.
                                       
UP worked the clock down to about 8 seconds and then ran a simple play that will only get harder for Frontier Conference teams to defend over the next three years. Freshman point guard Emilee Maldonado and Esary, also a freshman, ran a pick-and-roll at the top of the key.
 
As Maldonado dribbled around the screen and drove into the lane, both her defender and Esary's drifted toward the ball, leaving Esary open at the elbow. Maldonado red the defense and dropped the pass pack to Esary, who took one dribble spun and hit a layup to give the Lady Argos a 51-49 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The fourth quarter was all Argos, though Tech tried to mount a late rally in the final few minutes. A floater from Maldonado that dropped and drew a foul with 2:15 left ended that effort after the freshman completed the 3-point play. McDonagh and Randich then combined to go 6-6 from the free-throw line to finish the win.
 
Despite 4 turnovers, Esary had a career game. She posted her second straight double-double and the third of her career with 15 points and 17 rebounds. Not only were her 17 boards, including 8 offensive rebounds, a career high for the freshman but it was also the most by any Lady Argo in a game since an 18 rebound performance by Lindsey Abramson on January 7, 2015.
 
As good Esary was, McDonagh may have been better. She went 9-16 from the field to lead the team with 24 points. She also led the team with 5 steals and 2 blocks and also added 5 rebounds and 5 assists to her total.
 
Maldonado was at her best late in the game, scoring all 7 of her points in the fourth quarter. She also led the team with 7 assists, while only committing 2 turnovers and coming away with 1 steal and 1 block.
 
The win brings UP's record 12-3 (3-1) on the season and keeps the Lady Argos in a three-way tie for first place in the Frontier Conference standings. Next for the Lady Argos will be a road game against Montana Western on January 11 at 5:30 p.m.