GREAT FALLS, Mont. – A jumbled picture of the Frontier Conference women's basketball standings could get clearer or even more confused based on how the outcomes of the University of Providence's next week of contests. The Lady Argos will face each of the conference's two teams ranked in the top-15 of the NAIA Division I Coaches' Poll.
 
While both (10) University of Montana Western and (7) Lewis-Clark State College are ranked ahead of the (RV) Lady Argos, UP is ahead of both in the Frontier Conference standings. UP is currently in a three-way tie with (24) Carroll College and Rocky Mountain College, all of whom have a conference record of 3-1, while LC State is fourth in the standings at 2-2 and Western is in a three-way tie for last at 1-3.
 
Both contests will be on the road, starting with the UMW Bulldogs on Thursday, January 11 at 5:30 p.m.
 
In 2016-17, UP went 0-3 against Western, losing by an average margin of 13.6 points. The good news for the Lady Argos is that the two players that gave them the most trouble last year, All-American point guard Aniese Palmore and Honorable Mention All-American forward Kaye Bignell, have graduated.
 
This year, the Bulldog's inside-outside combination has been junior guard Brianna King and junior forward Britt Cooper. King, in particular, is have a breakout season, currently ranking 14th in NAIA Division I in Points per Game (17.750), 19th in Free Throw Percentage (80.7 percent) and 32nd in Steals per Game (2.313).
 
Thanks, in large part to King's efforts, Western is statistically one of the best defensive teams in the country. They are 13th in Scoring Defense per Game, giving up just under 57 points per game, and 33^rd in Steals per Game (10.125). The latter statistic could be a problem for the Lady Argos who have had problems with turnovers, averaging over 15 turnovers a game.
 
Another important factor of the game could be rebounding. UP ranks 13th in Total Rebound Margin (9.667) but Western ranks 7th (10.625). The Bulldog's biggest rebounding strength has been on the offensive glass, an area that troubled the Lady Argos in their most recent game, giving up 21 offensive boards in a win over Montana Tech.
 
Things won't get easier two days later, with UP taking on the defending conference champs and NAIA runner-up LC Warriors. Like the Western, the Bulldogs went 3-0 against the Lady Argos in 2016-17 with a similar win margin as Western.
 
Also like Western, the Warriors have graduated the player UP had the most trouble stopping – point guard Caelyn Orlandi. Orlandi, a First Team All-American, gave everyone trouble and against the Lady Argos, she averaged 18.6 ppg and 7.6  apg .
 
Scoring for LCSC has been a bit more even in 2017-18 with three players all averaging 10 points per game and three more averaging 9 ppg.  Even without Orlandi, the Warriors have been playing the same clean, assist driven offense that has made them one of the top programs in the conference for years.
 
The Warriors currently rank 6th in NAIA Division I in Free Throw Pct (0.759), 7th in Assist/Turnover Ratio (1.229), 8th in Scoring margin (20.867), 11th Assists per Game (17.200), and 11th Scoring Offense per Game (78.933).
 
In 2017-18, LC State has beaten two ranked teams, starting with (15) The Master's (Calif.) in a 90-74 win during non-conference play, followed by a 74-69 win over Western back on November 30. The New Year hasn't been kind to the Warriors, however, losing two straight conference games, 62-54 to Rocky Mountain and 73-67 Carroll College.
 
UP, on the other hand, had done well since the calendar flipped to 2018. The Lady Argos have won each of their last two games, including a road upset of (21) MSU-Northern that was the team's first win in Havre since 1985. A big factor in both of those wins was the play of freshman Parker Esary who had the second and third double-doubles of her collegiate career.