LEWISTON, Idaho – The University of Providence men's basketball team went 9-18 from 3-point range, shot 80 percent from the free-throw line, won the rebounding battle 28-24, and forced 10 turnovers against (19) Lewis-Clark State Clark but missed a few too many shots down the stretch in an 80-71 loss to the Warriors.
 
There was a lot to like about the way the Argos played. The team shot 49 percent or higher from the field and 50 percent or higher from three for the third time in four games as the team continues to look on the verge of a breakthrough without a having actually broken through yet. Since an ugly 100-87 loss to Montana Western on January 11, the Argos are 3-6 with five of the six losses coming by single digits.
 
The first few minutes were sloppy for the Argos, with four of the team's first five possessions ending in turnovers. A good defensive effort on the other managed to limit the damage of those turnovers and only trailed by 3 points by the time the offense got on track.
 
UP took a brief lead 5 minutes into the game on a basket from senior forward Steven Daho-Clark, but LCSC answered back to go up 17-11. The momentum seesaw swung back UP's way with sophomore Quesley-Marie Noresias and juniors Jack Taylor and D'shea Williams put in some excellent minutes off the bench.
 
Noresias scored 5 straight points on his first 2 shots of the game and stayed hot for the rest of the half. He finished the first half with 11 points on 4-5 shooting in just under 9 minutes on the court.
 
He was part of a highly efficient shooting effort for the Argos who made 65 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three in the first half. LCSC only shot 45 percent and 20 percent from three, but that disparity was balanced out by 9 UP turnovers and the two teams entered halftime tied at 37 all.
 
Senior guards Jared Schultz and Matthew Brooks-McGregor picked up where Noresias left off to start the second half, scoring UP's first 8 points of the half to give the Argos the early advantage.
 
UP held the lead for most of the first seven minutes of the period but only scored 1 point in a three and half minute stretch after that. A three from Brooks-McGregor tied the score at 54-54 with just over 11 minutes to go and a pair of free throws from senior guard DuShaun Rice put UP ahead again.
 
The punch-counter-punch continued for a while longer until 2 more Argo turnovers in crucial moments compounded with a cold shooting streak to allow the Warriors to take a 76-65 lead.  Two buckets in the paint from Daho-Clark in the penultimate minute got the score back with 6 with just over 60 seconds left and UP went to an aggressive full-court press.
 
LC State managed to slip a man behind that press for an uncontested dunk that essentially put the game out of reach.
 
Daho-Clark ended the game as UP's leading scorer with 16 points on 6-8 shooting at 7 rebounds. His former high school teammate, Noresias was next with 13 points on 5-8 shooting.
 
UP's record goes to 10-13 (4-9) with the loss as the Argos stay at sixth place in the Frontier Conference standings. Next will be a road game against (9) Montana Western on Saturday, February 10 at 7:30 p.m.