HAVRE, Mont. - Senior guard Stephanie McDonagh scored 7 straight points to end the third quarter and turn the momentum of University of Providence women's basketball's road game against Montana State University-Northern and lead the team to a 57-51 win. The victory clinches a home game in the first round of the Frontier Conference tournament for the Lady Argos and gives UP its first season sweep of the Skylights in the modern era of Argo athletics.
 
"Every win in the Frontier is big and I'm just really proud of our girls," UP Head Coach Bill HImmelberg said. "I thought all of our girls defended well tonight and played really hard. It was Senior Night for Northern and that makes it really tough and they're record doesn't indicate how good they are."
 
Before that 7 point run from McDonagh, MSUN led the game 40-32 with three minutes left in the third quarter. Just minutes earlier, with Northern still up by 8 points, Himmelberg had a talk with his team during the media timeout.
 
"We talked in the huddle about executing. We talked about getting to the rim and shooting with confidence," Himmelberg said. "They came out of the huddle and executed what we talked about. Kallee hit a big three after that and we just built on it from there."
 
That three from senior Kallee Wilson came at the 4:40 mark and was her first made three of the year. It narrowed Northern's lead to 5 points, but a few minutes later they had it back to 8 with a pair of free throws.
 
On the next possession, McDonagh followed the game plan and drove the line, finishing with a layup. Freshman post Parker Esary then got a block on the defensive end, and McDonagh eventually turned that into another made layup. That brought the score to 40-36 with over two minutes to go in the third quarter, but no one scored again until McDonagh nailed a buzzer beater three to pull the Lady Argos within 1 point.
 
In the final quarter, McDonagh actually had her lowest scoring period of the game with just 4 points, but freshman guard Emilee Maldonado and junior post Tristan Murphy more than made up for it. With 6:39 on the clock, the Lights led 46-43 with another drive and score for McDonagh kick-started a 10-2 Lady Argo run.
 
Murphy ended up scoring 8 of her 10 total points in the final 10 minutes, while Maldonado scored 6 of her 11 in that span, including a pair of clutch free throws. 
 
The game was close throughout the first half, with the score tied at 14 all after the first quarter, and Northern holding a slim 27-25 lead at the half. McDonagh was a constant throughout, scoring 5 points in each of the first two quarters. Esary wasn't far behind, finishing the half with 8 points to combine with McDonagh to score 18 of the team's 25 points in the first 20 minutes.
 
Turnovers continued to be UP's weak point, with the team losing the ball 18 times, but they made up for it with 8 steals and by outrebounding the Lights 32-21.
 
After scoring under 10 points for the first time since the second game of the season in UP's previous game, McDonagh bounced back with 21 points and 2 steals on 9-16 shooting. It was her tenth time scoring 20 or more points in a game during her senior year.
 
The Lady Argos also had two players finish with double-doubles. Murphy earned her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while freshman post Parker Esary got her sixth with identical numbers.
 
UP's record of 18-10 (9-8) guarantees the Lady Argos at least a share of fourth place in the Frontier Conference regular season standings. Even if they end up tied, it will be with Lewis-Clark State College, which UP has the tiebreaker having beat the Warriors two out of three times.
 
"It's huge. You know, we're traveling again on Saturday, so to get home, get some rest, get some home cooking, and play in our gym where we play pretty well is a big thing," Himmelberg said. "It's not going to be an easy game no matter who we play. Everybody in the Frontier is good, so to be at home is important because any advantage could be the difference."
 
Before the playoffs get started on February 28, the Lady Argos will have one more regular season game, traveling to Butte, Montana to take on Montana Tech on Saturday, February 24 at 5:30 p.m.