GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The emotions of Senior Night, the weight of a five game losing streak, the talent of the number 6 team in the nation, and the history of an 0-5 record against Carroll College in the past two years – the University of Providence men's basketball team overcame them all in a stunning 59-58 win over the Fighting Saints.
 
After a three week stretch of coming close but losing, the Argos finally finished a game with 5 second half threes, some great defense, and 3 huge rebounds from senior forward Trayvon Bashir.
 
"It was a big win for us seniors but for the team, it was a bigger win. We've been in a slump and trying to figure things out. But everybody came together today," Bashir said. "I felt there was good energy and we were all on the same page and it worked out in our favor."
 
With 1:04 on the clock, Carroll's Matt Wyman finished a contested layup that tied the score at 58 all. He was also fouled by Bashir on the play, giving him a free throw to take the lead. He missed the shot and Bashir made up for the foul with a crucial rebound.
 
Late in the shot clock, senior guard DuShaun Rice drove the lane and almost got an and-1 of his own but the ball rolled out of the rim. He went to the line to shoot to shots and gave UP the lead by making the first. He missed the second, give Carroll a chance to retake the lead. 
 
On the other end, Carroll missed another contested shot in the paint, and once again Bashir was there to gather the board. He was fouled forcing the Argos to inbound from the baseline. The Saints pressed with the intent to foul quickly, but UP broke the press with some quick passing and ran critical seconds off the clock. 
 
Eventually, senior guard Matthew Brooks-McGregor went to the line for a 1-and-1 but missed the front end, giving Carroll another chance. The Saints got an open look from three, but it missed and Bashir was again there to gather the ball. He was fouled with 0.1 seconds left on the clock and despite missing the front end of his 1-and-1, Carroll couldn't make the full court heave. 
 
"We just haven't been able to finish games recently and tonight the seniors stepped up. They were determined tonight, and they've been determined all season," Head Coach Anthony Owens said. "It's just been little things at the end of games that have cost us, so to me this isn't a surprise. I knew we could be Carroll, we just need to execute at the end of the game and we did that tonight."
 
It wasn't just the final few minutes of the game that were close. The largest lead in the contest was three 6 point advantages held Carroll. The first of those came with 9:09 on the clock in the first half after a Saints three threatened to build some momentum.
 
That momentum was put to a halt by sophomore guard Quesly-Marie Noresias who scored on each of UP's next three possessions to bring the margin back to within 2.
 
A few minutes later, senior guard Sergio Berkley hit a three to tie the game at 22 all and later made a free throw to briefly put the Argos ahead by 1. UP held another short-lived lead after a three from Noresias, but a few good possessions from Carroll, including a buzzer beater, put the Saints back up by 6 at the half.
 
The third 6 point lead came with just over five minutes left in the game when Carroll again looked poised to start pulling away. Once again there was an Argo to answer, and this time it was Berkley. The senior hit 2 threes if UP's next three trips down the floor the second of which tied the game at 56.
 
Carroll didn't get a chance to break that tie with senior guard DuShaun Rice coming up with a big steal that eventually led to a layup for Berkley to put UP ahead 58-56 with 2:35 left.
 
On the offensive end, Rice, Berkley, and Noresias carried the lion's share of the load. The three combined for 45 of the team's 59 points. Rice led all scorers with 18 points while added 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.
 
Berkley had 16 points, including 3-6 shooting from three, while Noresias had a perfect shooting night, finishing 5-5 from the field for 11 points.
 
Bashir didn't score a point in the game and only took one shot but his impact was felt elsewhere as he had a team leading 8 rebounds and 2 steals.
 
The win ends a five game losing streak for UP. Last time the team won, it was also at home against a ranked team, that time against then (8) Lewis-Clark State College. UP's record goes to 11-15 (5-11) with the win, giving the Argos a two game cushion over Montana Tech for sixth place in the Frontier Conference.
 
UP has two games left in the year, starting with a road trip to Montana State University-Northern on February 21.